Growing Up
by Nikki Firesong
Summary: Mabel finds herself within the comforting arms of an old enemy. Dipper can't accept the fact that their life is changing, now they're aging quickly into their adult lives. Ten years is a long time for the Mystery Twins, especially since both of them agreed they're not ready to grow up just yet. Adulthood would be fun, they said. Nothing could go wrong, they said.
1. Chapter One: Highway to Nowhere

**Nikki's Note: Hey guys! Been a while, huh? I gotta say, I missed the feeling of writing a new story on here. And, well, given how I have been a long-term fan of Gravity Falls, I figured I might as well contribute _something_. So, to start off the new year of 2016 with a bang, I present to you THIS. Now, granted these events are what I'd imagined before I'd watched the two part shit-fest Weirdmageddon, and I had begun this story in the summer. It's quite a coincidence that this is my thirteenth story now, and the apocalypse has hit Gravity Falls... I didn't plan it this way, I swear. I had jumped aboard the Mabcifica train well into the first season, so if you're not into femslash, GET OUT. Smh. I will go into detail soon enough as to why this pairing means so much to me later on. Well, enough of my ramblings. Enjoy this new story, an upload schedule will be announced shortly once I get the hang of things again! In the words of Soos, later dudes. **

* * *

**_Growing Up_**

 _ **PART ONE: The Conspiracy of Mystery North**_

 _ **Chapter One: Highway to Nowhere**_

The twenty-one year old smiled as she finished her painting, her heart swelling with pride at her most recent piece.

After cutting off all ties with her family that one fateful summer, she swore to make a new name for herself, and became inspired by the arts. She set up her own life and taught the townsfolk of _Springfield_ , Oregon music and art. It wasn't a strong paying job, but it didn't feel like work, since she had just recently discovered as her passion: capturing the beauty of everything.

"M-Ms. North?"

No longer was she the richest girl in the county.

No longer was she a brat, a fake, a witch.

Her new name is _Mystery North_ , a high school dropout with no money, family, and no future. But that was okay. Because she didn't have to pretend that she was everything anymore.

Mystery turned around, blowing her short natural brown hair out of her face. "Billy? You're still here?"

"M-my mom said that an incident happened at work and she'll be running late. O-one of the doggies e-escaped from his cage and attacked a vet."

Mystery's eyes widened in concern, "Oh gosh, that's terrible! Don't worry hun, I know she'll be able to do it. Why don't you go get something from the snack bar? I'll let you know when your mommy comes."

The little boy smiled and wiped his eyes, leaving his backpack behind as he ran off.

This new life may have been forged over a silver lining, but it worked out for her, and she had gladly left behind her old one, leaving her footprints covered up completely.

Though, despite everything that was finally looking up for her, she always had this hollow feeling in her chest. She couldn't help thinking back about her childhood in Gravity Falls. Her mistake echoed in her soul every day, reminding her as to why she left. Why she became Mystery. She wasn't angry at herself, nor was she upset. She was just bitter. Bitter at the fact that she knew nothing could fix the damage she caused, when it was in her hands to change fate in the first place.

The brunette shook her head, head starting to throb. _Almost got deep there; I've been doing so well, I don't want to go back on the medication again._ She blinked a few times, rubbing her eyes and checking her wrist watch.

It was almost nine—every day after classes she set out on the mile trek to _Joe's Pancake House_ , to have some of the best homemade pancakes in the state of Oregon. The food was worth it; Mystery has been there so many times Joe himself memorized her favorite meal, and often spoke highly of the young woman. It's her happy place.

 _He's practically my second father, better than that scum of the earth,_ Mystery grinned happily at the thought, _I owe so much to the old man._

The young woman took a look around her classroom. As she drove through Oregon after that one summer, she almost left the state entirely until she stopped by this two story building. It used to be an abandoned ballet studio, worn down by years of neglect. The bottom floor was complete with office desks, a working bathroom, and a small eating area. The top floor was a huge empty space with glass walls and an air of finality.

Mystery loved it. She took it upon herself to restore the building, making the top floor her home and the office area into little nooks for her painting sessions. She worked the most on the side of the building, covering up the old wall with beautiful blue sky and bright colors, allowing people to see it from miles away. She was almost finished with her project.

The young woman was so deep in her mind she almost didn't notice the newcomer burst through her front door. Billy's mother was a messy, tardy middle aged woman. She was always fretting over something over her son, and was sometimes a little difficult to deal with. Her ginger hair was always pulled into an unkempt bun, the same went for her clothes. Though, it was wrong of Mystery to think badly of the woman; she was a single mom, the cowardly father walked out on her when he found out about the baby, and never returned. In fact, in many ways the two had a lot of things in common. She often found herself confiding her worries to Billy's mom, and the latter didn't mind a bit.

"Got stuck in traffic, Sonja?" She asked, lightly tip toeing the conversation.

"I-I'm so sorry," she whimpered, shifting through her purse. "I didn't mean to come home so late this time. Work has been starting to get really stressful and…"

Mystery smiled and held up her hand. "Don't worry about it so much. We had just finished. Billy! Your mother's here!"

There was no answer at first, causing a bead of sweat to pour down the stressful mom's face.

" _Mommy!"_ Came Billy's screech, and a blur of blue and orange ran past the woman. "Mommy, mommy, mommy, you're home!"

She took a step backwards from the tackle, but she hugged the boy anyway. A small laugh escaped her lips. "Mommy missed you too, kiddo. Have a good day at school and art class?"

He grinned and held up a painting. "We worked on human proportions today! Look! I drew you, me, and Lisa!" 'Lisa' was their pet bunny, an adorable little boy that sometimes came in to be an art prop.

She glowed with pride at her sons work, "Your art is getting better and better, sweetie. We'll hang it up on the fridge," She smiled over at Mystery and sneakily handed her a tip. She mouthed a thank you and walked out with her son.

And with that, her day was finally over.

Mystery North let out a breath and stretched her arms, cleaning up for the night. She quickly went up to her loft and grabbed her purse, reapplying a little makeup, and putting on sleep clothes. _Joe's Pancake House_ was the kind of dinner that you could walk in wearing anything you damn well pleased, (just as long as you didn't walk in stark naked). No shirt no service, after all.

She looked around her small bedroom, eyes finally falling on her money jar. For every sale she made with her work, she saved a little bit away for the future each week. She promised herself that with that money she'll go on a nice vacation someday, somewhere far away from here. It kept her waking up in the morning.

The young woman glanced outside to see that the sky had turned a purple hue, the sun already hidden in the trees. She had taken out her flashlight just in case, but who really uses those things anymore when you own the new touch screen phone?

It was a bit chilly when Mystery walked out, so she tugged a little tighter at her sweater.

Flashes of memory appeared before her eyes just then, no matter how much she tried to push them back. An image of a young girl, with curly brown hair and braces was crying on the ground, her once colorful sweater covered in mud. She looked so vulnerable, so weak in that moment, that it broke the woman. Her brain was foggy as to what had happened to her, and it only made her sick inside.

Mystery shook her head, but the image stayed. It was like a leech. _It's been ten years since that incident; I've gotten over it. What's going on? Why is this bothering me now?_ Her stomach twisted uncomfortably.

"I seriously need a strong cup of coffee," She mumbled and picked up the pace, getting a strange feeling in her chest. Something wasn't right. Something was out of place. She could feel it, burning in the back of her throat that somehow the world was slowly falling apart at the seams.

She hadn't felt like this in a long time. Her demons were beginning to catch up with her.

She stopped then, taking in a deep breath to compose herself. She then walked a bit faster and cleared her mind as best she could, but the sixth sense remained.

The road became brighter as she walked on, realizing that she was now in the shopping district of Springfield. _Joe's_ was just around the corner of here, right next to City Hall and the Police Station.

Springfield was perfect for Mystery to blend in because it was small, family oriented town of at least 5,000 people. Every family knew each other by name. She loved it how every kid under the age of fifteen has a curfew: no one out after eleven pm; plus, Sunday is when all the shops are closed, so parents could spend time with their loved ones. It was Mystery's favorite time of the week, because that's when she was able to work on her mural with no interruptions.

Finally she saw the dim lighting of the old dinner, and the aspiring artist let out a sigh of relief. _Joe's_ was your classic, small Italian family owned place. It was renovated some fifty years ago and had changed along with the town. It became a landmark for the people, and many even signed a petition to keep it when the mayor wanted to build a new school in the lot—Mystery included took part of the riot. That was probably the day when she told herself to stop running away, and enjoy the time she had in Springfield. She decided then to make an effort and meet new people, smile, and make herself known; for all the good reasons.

A few droplets had just hit Mystery's face when she walked in the wooden doors, and within seconds it turned into a full-fledged storm.

"Man, we haven't had a storm like that in a while," A jolly voice laughed, calming down a group of kids who were terrified by it. "Must be the gnomes in Cloudsville—I heard it was football season up there."

"'Sup Mystery!" A teenage girl exclaimed, behind the cash register. Her blue eyes twinkled as she put up her blonde hair in a bun, passing her a friendly wave. Kelsey Upton was Springfield's resident ray of sunshine; she worked a part time job at _Joe's_ , and did a number of odd jobs after school. She lived with her grandfather and while nobody questioned about her past life, she never seemed bothered when people mentioned her about home. Also, Kelsey was a huge fan of Mystery's work. She often stopped by after school to help out with the afternoon classes, even though the young woman insists she doesn't need an assistant. The girl had a good head on her shoulders, and a bright future ahead.

"Hey girlfriend," She chuckled, plastering on a smile. She found it amazing just how contagious Kelsey's perky attitude about everything was. "One strong coffee for me, decaf."

Kelsey's lip pouted, "You're not going to have our famous pancakes this time? You wound me, Myst."

Mystery rolled her eyes at the nickname, and yawned. "It's been a long day. I don't need anything heavy in my stomach right now."

"Fine, fine," The blonde girl chuckled, and called out to the back. "Hey, Austin! One black coffee pronto! Add in a plain bagel with butter! AND DON'T BURN IT THIS TIME!"

There was a clatter of pans and Kelsey smacked her head. "I swear, he can't do anything right."

Joe let out a laugh and turned to face Mystery, who had an amused expression on her face. "Good evening, sweetheart. How's the mural going? Finished yet?"

She smiled, "Almost. Just a few more spots to go; I'm kind of debating what I should draw, actually. I haven't really figured that out yet."

Joe smiled, "It'll come to ya. Let me tell you, I'm surprised at the talent you have and how dedicated you are. That mural really represents the town of Springfield to a T."

Mystery blushed at the praise. "Thanks, that means a lot. How's business going?"

The old man shrugged his shoulders, "Business is always slow in the summer, what with all the tourists headin' down south Oregon for money traps. Ten years ago it was so slow I was able to count all the pieces of gum that was stuck underneath the tables," He shuddered, "We'll see. It's the year 2021. Anything can happen with all this new technology, right?"

Mystery snickered, "Yeah, you're really behind the times back here, old man."

Joe grinned and laughed back, "Beep boop, I am a robot without free will."

The young woman was about to retaliate when the front doors burst open.

Time seemed to freeze as plates shattered in the kitchen, and an eerie silence fell into the _Pancake House_. Mystery felt every bone in her body shake with anticipation as she dared herself to look around, her eyes widening in shock. Standing before her was Mabel Pines, the one woman she never expected to see again in this lifetime.


	2. Chapter Two: Chasing Demons

**Nikki's Note: Ask and ye shall receive xD**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Two: Chasing Demons**_

Thankfully, Kelsey was the one to break the uncomfortable silence. "Oh my god," She muttered, and plastered on a smile. Joe gave her a dirty look at her choice of words. "Hey, uh, traveler. Table for one?"

The brown haired woman quickly looked behind her in a daze, and then let out a sigh of relief. She nodded back to Kelsey. She chatted aimlessly to Mabel about Springfield, hoping to elude the current situation, something that the teenager did best. The rest of the customers carried about their business, though they did feel weary about the imposter. The people in this town really didn't like having their territory invaded—especially by tourists.

Mystery was still in shock. Mabel looked so different than she remembered. Her long brown hair was now pulled upward in a ponytail, her shoulders slouched, and she walked in a defeated motion. What was perhaps the most appalling about her change was her outfit choice; gone was the goofy sweaters and crazy earrings; she instead just wore a plain black sweater and a jean short skirt, with matching sandals. It was all too much.

A terrifying realization came to Mystery then, and she nearly screamed. _I had caused this. This is all MY fault._

Every single wrong that Mystery had done in her past life in Gravity Falls, every terrible deed that she had done, flashed before her memory in that moment and before she knew it, she found herself sliding off the bar stool.

She had been running away for too long. She knew that one day her demons would catch up to her.

It was time to stop hiding.

She had to make things right.

Mystery grabbed Mabel's shirt collar and ignored Kelsey's protests.

"Wh-who the hell are you?! You can't just grab someone and expect to—," Mabel froze and stared, mouth agape. "Pa-pacifi—"

She glared and held on tight to Mabel's arm, pulling her to the woman's bathroom.

Granted, Mystery had no idea as to what she was doing, but she knew both of them needed closure. It's been ten long years without any confrontation.

Mystery had locked the door before Mabel could get a chance to run, though she did try to escape.

"Let me out of here, Pacifica! I had just dumped my stupid ex-boyfriend and I really would like not to be trapped in here with you."

 _So that's why she's so upset,_ she thought with a sneer, her hands forming into fists. She didn't appreciate the fact that someone else caused Mabel to cry. It was beyond disgusting. "L-listen… I know we haven't seen each other in a long time, and right now might not be the best way to talk…"

"Talk?! _Talk_? What is there to talk about, Pacifica? You made that statement pretty clear when you said you never wanted to see me again." She breathed out, her chest heaving as more tears streamed down her face. She looked down at the bathroom tiles. "Pacifica, for the past ten years we all believed that staged suicide jump."

"Pacifica really is dead, Mabel," She muttered, "And that's why I need to speak with you. Please, I've changed now. Give me a chance."

Mabel frowned, eyes growing distant. "I'm tired of giving people second chances, Pacifica."

"Stop calling me that name!" She screamed, banging her fist on the counter. "It's Mystery North, now. Legally I could only shorten my last name to erase all ties to my family."

"Hardy har, so original," she hissed, "You've never cared about anyone besides yourself, Pacifica. No matter how different you changed, no matter how highly the people of this town worship you, you will always be Pacifica Northwest, my archrival, and the heiress to a fake inheritance."

Mystery was livid.

She let out a screech and pulled out her hair, " _AND THAT'S WHY I NEARLY COMMITED SUICIDE, MABEL_!" She fell to the floor, refusing to look at her. "I couldn't take it anymore. Whenever I bullied you and your brother it was the only time that I truly felt in control of my life. It burned me with guilt every stupid insult I threw at you," She sobbed, refusing to look at her. _Not to mention that I'm in love with you, but let's ignore that for now._

Mabel froze, her eyes wide in realization. She stumbled backwards and her back hit the door. "What?"

Mystery took in a big gulp of air, her throat dry. "Mabel, everything else in my life was spiraling out of control. My parents were constantly fighting all the time, our personal servants quit their posts, and we were so overdue on our taxes. All of my parent's lies were coming back to get them, and they couldn't do anything about it. They were even arguing so bad one day that my father threatened a divorce. And we couldn't say anything about this to the public because, well, it'll ruin our entire image, or lack thereof. I didn't fucking care anymore at the time, but my parent's sure as hell did. The truth destroyed us."

Mabel's eyes softened, but she kept her grip on the door handle.

"Then I started to get sick. Like, I caught a virus so bad the doctors didn't even know what to do about it. My parents still weren't on good terms and they argued about what they should do with me constantly. I had enough of lying in bed and decided to get out of the house. That was when I saw you hanging around the Mystery Shack. I had so much pent up emotions that I couldn't take it anymore, and lashed out on you that day. I don't even remember the words that I said or why you were upset in the first place, but… I just want to say I'm sorry. I changed myself throughout that journey to replace all the wrongs that I've done, but nothing helped erase the pain that I did to _you_. It was unfair and… you're a much better person than me in so many ways, Mabel. The only time when I did get better is when I found myself here. In Springfield."

Mystery breathed out a long breath, feeling the weight just lifting off her shoulders. She had gone over this conversation in her head so many times before, but this was a close second.

"Mystery," She said gently, letting out a sigh. "I had no idea how much that deed impacted you. You always kept your emotions in check that we never really understood why you acted that way," She smiled sadly then, "Your words are honest now, but you're still going to prove to me that you've changed. I need to believe you."

"I…," Mystery started, but she decided against saying the 'L-word'. She bit her lip and nodded. "I understand. Just know that everything I'm doing for the town of Springfield… for the lovely people here… I'm doing it because you taught me how to be beautiful, and that it's okay to not be perfect."

Mabel's eyes began to water, "I'll be the judge of that," She took a deep breath, and the two stood up. She held out her hand. "Truce?"

She smiled at her ex-rival, her eyes watering. "Truce."

Kelsey banged on the bathroom door, "I swear if you two are in there for any second longer I'm going to bust this door down and kick both of your asses."

Mystery cringed, knowing exactly how her teenage friend gets on a bad day. "We're coming, we're coming," She glanced over at Mabel again, her eyes asking if it was okay to take her hand. The silly girl smiled and nodded, noticing how their fingers fit each other's perfectly. She blushed and hid her face in her hair.

When they had exited the bathroom, Joe, Austin, and Kelsey gave them worried glances. "Is everything alright?" The old man asked, placing a comforting hand on Mystery's shoulder.

She gave him a grateful smile. "Yes. Guys, this is an old friend of mine from my childhood, Mabel Pines. Mabel Pines, this is Joe, that goofy guy is Austin, and the angry teenager is Kelsey. They've helped me settle in to Springfield when I first moved here."

Kelsey's eyes lit up with excitement, "Mabel Pines?! THE Mabel Pines? Dude, you and your brother are like, legendary, I can't believe I'm finally meeting you!" She squealed, taking out a journal from her back pocket. "Can I have your autograph?"

Austin laughed as Mabel blushed in embarrassment, clearly enjoying the scene. Joe just smiled and nodded back to the counter, though Mystery knew that if she ever needed anything he would help.

"Aww, shucks, you flatter me. Of course you can!" She giggled as Kelsey continued to make squealing noises, and wrote down her signature. "BAP," She declared, smiling proudly at her work. "Ever since Dipper and I took over the Mystery Shack when our Grunkles passed away, we decided to run things a little differently. Paranormal activities were getting crazier by the day, and each week we had a new attraction. _Real_ attractions this time. We decided to print out copies of the journals for collector items, since it was such a high demand a few years back—glad to see you're putting the second journal to good use. Our Grunkle Stan (God bless his soul) had his own way of selling his merchandise, but we wanted to do something that appealed more to the people. So we made a bed and breakfast on the second floor, for travelers to rest their weary feet during the night. Who knew it'll attract people from around the world!"

Mystery smiled at Mabel, her heart thumping hard in her chest. She was so happy to hear that the Shack was doing really well and under new management. She wondered briefly how much Gravity Falls itself had changed throughout the years. Though, she knew she could never convince herself to go back. There were too many terrible memories there.

Austin opened his mouth, possibly to make a joke, when Mabel's phone buzzed in her pocket. The smile on the brunette's face vanished and was quickly replaced by a look of fear. "Fuck," She muttered, fumbling.

"Mabel, what's wrong?" Kelsey asked her. She didn't answer and clicked the green button on her screen.

"Dip, I'm sorry, I know I should be back by now," She sighed, "Don't worry about me, bro-bro, I'm fine. He's not bothering me anymore… at least… I hope," that only caused more screeching on the other side, and her audience visibly winced at the sound. "No, Dipper, don't call the police on him. It isn't worth it. It'll just make things even worse." She grits her teeth together in frustration. "Dipper, I'm serious, I've got everything under control! Stop babying me. He just cornered me earlier and threatened…" she went silent for a while as Dipper spewed out his worries, causing Mabel to cry. "You know what Dipper, I'm done with this conversation. Call me again when you've calmed down." She ended the call and wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

Austin had left the girls alone during the call, going back to the kitchen. He knew when he was not needed.

Kelsey let out a sigh and touched Mabel's hand, "You need a strong cup of coffee," Without protest she followed her with Mystery close behind. She had just met her old rival after ten years—there was no way she was getting out of her sight, and she made a silent pledge to put a lovely smile back on her face.


	3. ChapterThree Empty Wounds and Open Scars

**Nikki's Note: Buckle up, you guys, because from here on out things will get a bit dark and depressing.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Three: Empty Wounds and Open Scars**_

"Priscilla, darling, could you get the mail?" Preston spoke icily, making Pacifica gulp. He glanced up from his smoke to glare at his wife.

The air hung thick around the broken family, like a shark awaiting its next victim.

"Must I, Preston? All I ever do is your dirty work." Said woman lazily picked at her morning tea with her spoon. She had wrinkles etched into her once pretty face—her hair was less than perfect.

The wealthy man clenched his fists, "Now, now, dearest, don't speak that tone with me. You know how we must behave. Go fetch the mail for us."

Priscilla continued, "Ever since we found the truth behind Nathaniel it's been 'do this' and 'do that' or 'give me my cigarettes,' you've never once thought about how your daughter or your wife felt about it."

"That's because there is nothing to talk about," He seethed, gripping the edge of the coffee table. "Our personal image is still secure within the walls of this town. That stupid girl thinks she's won this game, but we continue to rule Gravity Falls. There's nothing to worry about."  
Pacifica felt her hands shake at the mention of Mabel. She knew better than to speak up when her parents began to argue.

Pricilla looked up at him then, her eyes flashing dangerously. "We're no better than that bastard Stanley Pines."

Preston shot up from his seat, startling Pacifica, "DO _NOT_ MENTION THAT COWARD'S NAME IN _MY_ HOME!"

" _Our_ , home dear; or have you forgotten that we're a family?" She hissed back. Pacifica slowly inched back, ducking when a glass object flew by her. Her stomach lurched with fear as she hurriedly exited the toxic environment.

She hated it. She hated living in fear all the time. She hated putting up a mask. She was so young, but she had to grow up so fast. Tears streamed down her face while she ran out of the mansion, without a destination of where she wanted to go. She just had to escape.

0o0o0o0o

Meanwhile, the Pines family had a similar crisis.

Mabel felt sick to her stomach as Dipper talked animatedly about his journals, and about the possible internship that Grunkle Ford had promised him. He was like an obsessed fangirl reading about their one true pairing. It should've been like a normal day. She should've been excided with him.

Her fears and anxiety got the better of her. Looking for paranormal beasts didn't seem so interesting anymore. Instead, she worried so much about the future—about her and Dipper's future. A future that Dipper wouldn't be a part of.

Their Great Uncle Ford coming back home should've been a good thing for the family. Three times the fun on misadventures and running the shack. All it did was re-open old wounds and the two twins would always fight each other. Sometimes they even directed it towards the children.

"Dipper," Mabel began, fidgeting with her sweater. "Did you ever think that maybe you're getting… a bit too old for this stuff?"

Dipper paused, slowing bringing his arms down. He frowned at her. "What… what do you mean?"

"I-I don't mean it like _that_ ," She muttered, "I'm just saying. When we get back home once this summer's over, where are we going to hunt for paranormal creatures? There are hardly any of them where we live. And… and not to mention, we would get picked on for it even worse too."

He gave her a weird look. "You're one to talk," He snapped, "You're the definition of silliness and you're telling _me_ to stop being a child? What's gotten into you?"

Mabel felt tears form in her eyes. This was what she worried about. "I just want all this stuff to stop before we turn into our two Grunkles!"

Dipper blew a raspberry at her, "Why are you so worried about what that old hag says? Everything he's told us up to this point is a lie. The real person we should believe is Great Uncle Ford. After all, I'm getting the internship of a lifetime!"

This got Mabel angry. "What?! Dipper, Great Uncle Ford is a complete jerk! He didn't once accept Grunkle Stan's apology! He closed down the shop and nearly kicked him out of town! You call that okay?"

Dipper's eyes became hard, "Well if you think that our lying, cheating, terrible Great Uncle Stan is the bee's knees, and that finding creatures like this is for babies, then leave me alone!"

"I'm just telling you how I feel! And I don't feel comfortable with anything anymore, Dipper! This whole trip was supposed to make us closer!" The young boy slowly pushed his sister out the door with his book, tears glistening in his eyes.

"Ever since we discovered the author of the journals, you've been so out of it. A-and we've been fighting so much. I think… I think we need to take a break." He muttered, "I'm sorry, Mabel. Just leave now before someone says something they regret."

"Why do I have to leave, huh? Why do you get to make the last say, Dipper?!" She practically screamed.

He let out a frustrated cry, "I don't know why you ever told me in the first place! You thought this whole paranormal stuff was stupid and you had other things to do! Like, oh yeah, obsessing over your next boyfriend was so much better than—"

"Shut your yap, _Llamanic_!" Dipper's eyes went wide at the mention of the name. Mabel shut the door on him, stomping downstairs in a fit of fury.

Mabel hurried out, hiding her eyes from him and slammed the door behind her. Grunkle Stan jumped at the sound and glanced up from his paper, glancing at her wearily. "Mabel, sweetie, is everything alright?" She did not say anything to him and sobbed, running out the main door. Wendy was working at the cash register and called out to her in concern, though she was surprised when the young girl barely glanced at her.

The young girl did not get very far as she collapsed on a nearby bench, moping about her current situation. She sobbed quietly to herself, moving deeper and deeper into sweater town. She wasn't sure what to do at this point. She just wanted to go home. She was homesick; all she desired to do was go back to her parents and forget this ever happened.

Coincidentally, Pacifica happened to be trudging by her at that time. Her eye's widened in surprise momentarily when she saw the crying girl, but she took a deep breath, and let out a laugh instead.

"Hah! Check it out, looks like someone did my job for me!" She sneered, bending over Mabel.

She didn't answer her.

"What's the matter, dork? Did your idiot of a brother screw up again?" When Mabel refused to answer a second time, Pacifica groaned in annoyance.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you, looser!" She groused, poking her shoulder.

Pacifica took this as her opportunity to draw attention to the small crowd that was forming around them, "Hey everybody! Look at this, Mabel Pines is officially broken!" Though, she didn't get the reaction she was expecting. Most of the people who saw the spectacle frowned and even glared at the young girl. There was quiet muttering amongst them while a harsh sweat broke out on her face.

"Shut up," Mabel finally uttered. She slowly poked her head out of her sweater.

Pacifica gulped, cringing at the dark tone in her voice. "What did you just say to me?"

"I said… _SHUT UP_!" In one swift moment, Mabel got up from her seat and pushed hard into her bully. She had never once fought back to her, and even believed at one point that they were going to be better friends, but she now knew that no one would ever want to be friends with Pacifica Northwest.

The bully lost her footing and fell into the mud, hitting her head on a brick wall. "Aak…hey! What the heck is wrong with you?!" She spat, tears glistening in her eyes as she rubbed her spot where the bump was. She gulped when she saw Mabel's face glaring at her, her eyes red with fury.

"I'm sick and tired of being treated like trash by you! Ever since we got here in May you have been the absolute worst, and we have done nothing to you! I was having a terrible day already, Pacifica, and it sure as heck didn't help that you're here to _make it even worse_!" She sobbed, wobbling a bit when the bully made an effort to push her down as well.

Pacifica got up, stumbling, and shoved Mabel. "People like me, Mabel, are not nice to people like you. And I never will be. So get that stupid fantasy out of your head that I would ever apologize for any of the things I did to—!" Her rant was cut off as Mabel punched her, for the first time in her life. She has never hit anyone, ever, and yet here she was giving Pacifica the bruise of the century. Her first hit her chin harshly, as things seemed to go in slow motion. Pacifica's front tooth flew out of her mouth, landing in a bloody heap on the floor next to her.

Gravity Falls was in a state of shock that day, as the town grew deathly quiet. Dipper, thankfully, at that time had run out of the Shack, Grunkle Stan close behind him. He was in a state of panic when he realized that Mabel hadn't been back before nightfall and was out all afternoon. He reconciled with his Grunkle Stan and the two made up for the time being, for Mabel's sake. He was frozen in horror at the scene before him, unable to understand just what had happened.

"Mabel! Mabel, sweetie, are you okay?" Grunkle Stan ushered, bending down over the weeping girl. His fists clenched and he turned to Pacifica, hissing, "Stay the hell away from my kids."

Tears were streaming down Pacifica's face as she felt the entire world crashing down on her. A sharp pain cursed through her mouth and she couldn't hold it in any longer. Seconds later, she let out a loud, terrifying scream that could be heard all across Gravity Falls. Nobody helped her up as she stumbled back on her feet, rushing past the judgmental crowd. The sun had begun to set after that dreadful day, but her time had only just begun.


	4. Chapter Four: Fake Inheritance

**Nikki's Note: Part two of Mystery's first backstory arc, 'One of a Kind'! There will be three or four more chapters of this, I presume. The chapters will begin to get longer after this one :D**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Four: Fake Inheritance**_

What makes someone a good person? Is it their family? Is it how many friends they have? Is it how much money they own? Is it donating to charity?

These were the questions Pacifica asked herself as she ran through the streets of Gravity Falls. She felt as if everybody was angry with her, hating her. She deserved to be, she told herself, they had every right to. Her hands became cold as she gripped the stairs of the water tower, wincing as the air became cooler. Tears streamed down her cheeks while she climbed, everything hurt from her face to her stomach.

She wondered just how many sins she had to repent for in order to become whole again.

She made it to the top, stumbling a bit as she tried to regain her balance. She held on to the railing and made her way to the other side, where the river awaited her. Her hands clenched into fists as she imagined herself falling. She took another step forward.

* * *

Ford Pines sighed at the scene before him, a glum look on his face. His twin brother was tending to his grandniece, who had most surprisingly been in a fist fight with the town bully. Dipper was cuddled on the couch next to her, persistent on being there for her the whole night. As he watched the twins interact with one another, Ford mulled over the recent events that had come between them.

"Maybe that wasn't a good idea on my part," He muttered, shaking his head. "Dipper and Mabel are so incredibly close that it would be a sin to separate them. I didn't even think of what poor Mabel would say when I offered Dipper to be my apprentice." He began to pace, catching the attention of his twin.

"I had just been so excited that I finally found a young, intelligent mind to share my experiments with. I didn't care about the consequences of my actions at all, and look where that led us." He gripped his nose with his finger, "For someone who is a certified genius, I am an idiot."

Stan Pines glanced over at his brother and passed him a weak smile, "Ford…" He began, but the family moment was interrupted. The telephone rang causing Grunkle Ford to jump, and he hurried over to pick it up. Mabel curiously leaned over the couch to see what her Great Uncle was up to.

"Who would be calling at this hour? It's 1:00am." Dipper yawned, rubbing his eyes. Mabel shrugged.

"Pine residence," Ford announced, recognizing the Sheriff's voice. "Yes. Yes, Mabel's home now. Thank you Sheriff, we just cleaned her wounds. She's fine, just a bit shaken up." He paused for a moment, "I'm sorry, what? _She's where_?" Grunkle Ford turned pale as a ghost. "Oh my God. We'll be on our way." He slammed the phone into its holder and turned to his family.

Dipper got up first, "What's the matter, Grunkle Ford? Who was that?"

"The Sheriff," He said through his teeth, "It's about that bully Pacifica. She's about to jump from the water tower."

Mabel froze in horror and whimpered, her heart aching. This couldn't be happening. She wouldn't do that. Why? When will this terrible day ever end?

The Pines family hurried out the door in a matter of seconds and into the streets of Gravity Falls. As if the world had a sick sense of humor, a huge downpour had suddenly washed over them. Mabel shrieked as the salty water hit her bruises, hissing in pain. Dipper grasped her hand tight as the two ran after their beloved Great Uncles to the scene of the crime.

It wasn't hard to find the Northwest's in the crowd, their grief-stricken faces a shock to see. Deputy Durland and Sheriff Blubs were there as well, each one trying to calm down the crowd and Pacifica's parents. The entirety of Gravity Falls has never been in one place before, not since when they found out their beloved Mayor had died. Though, Mabel and Dipper could agree that the seriousness of that situation hardly compared to what was unfolding before them now.

"Mabel!" Candy and Grenda saw the twins arrive and they hurried over to them, tears in their eyes. They engulfed her into a hug that she happily accepted, grateful that her friends were here.

"Oh, Mabel, we're so sorry about tricking you like that earlier today. In fact, we were planning on having a surprise party for you tomorrow just the three of us. But when we saw how genuinely sad you were, we realized how stupid that idea was. We didn't know that things were already bad for you back at the Shack."

Grenda mournfully sighed, kicking at dirt, "I broke up with Marius Von Fundshauser today. He was being a complete jerk. I should have told you the real reason before, Mabel."

Mabel laughed through her tears, waving off her friend's apologies. "It's alright, girls. I'm just glad you're here for us now."

"Forever, Mabel," Candy assured, giving her a hug. Dipper smiled gratefully at the two girls, though his happiness was short-lived once the actual situation hit them at full force.

" _PACIFICA_! Pacifica, darling, stop playing games, come down from there!" Preston shouted, his arms shaking. Even though his eyes told another story, he plastered on a fake smile.

"That's right dear, if you come down now we'll sort this out," Priscilla chimed, seething through her teeth.

Mabel's mouth gaped open in shock at the way the Northwest's were treating this delicate situation. What self-righteous assholes, believing that that Pacifica was only pulling a publicity stunt.

Thankfully, one person had the balls to voice out her opinion, and that person was Wendy Corduroy. "Open your eyes, you plastic dumbasses! There's a twenty foot drop from that water tower and a lake right beneath it. Your words are not helping this situation—Pacifica is seriously thinking of jumping that!"

Preston glared at the red head, "And when she does, hillbilly, we'll take her back home and punish her for her silly behavior."

"Hillbilly?!" Manly Dan roared; he was ready to pummel that fake wrench to the ground until Wendy held onto her father.

Dipper gulped at the scene and hugged Mabel close, scanning the crowd once before turning his attention up to Pacifica. The girl herself had a harsh glare on her face, visibly angry at the people below. Aggravated tears streamed down her face while her so called parents yelled at her, but she said nothing in response. He had never seen Pacifica like this before; he wondered just what kind of events had to unfold to push her to this breaking point.

"I can't live like this anymore!" Pacifica wailed, quieting the rowdy crowd. Her voice was horse and dry, thick with emotion. "It took me so long to realize what a pathetic excuse of a family we were. Neither of us ever cared for each other, you never supported me in anything I did! Ever since we found out that the deed was a fraud, it's been killing us!"

The only thing they could hear besides Pacifica's voice was the pelting rain. Nothing stirred.

"This isn't right. What we've been doing all these years were wrong. Lying, cheating, stealing from the good people of Gravity Falls… how long were the two of you willing to go before you got caught?!" She sobbed, staring directly at Mabel then. They locked eyes, and the young girl saw something in her ex-bully's eyes that weren't there before. A ghost of a smile appeared on Pacifica's face, "If suicides go to Hell, then that's where I belong." She then glared at her parents, "I'm going to Hell, **to get away from you**."

"Pacifica— _Pacifica Northwest,_ STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!" Preston roared, bursting through the crowd.

He pushed past Sheriff Blubbs, who had shouted curses at him, but the damaged matriarch was persistent. All the while he climbed up the steps, Pacifica was inching backwards into the railing. Angry tears glistened in his eyes as he nearly toppled over the tower with his weight. The crowd gasped in worry, but it wasn't for him; their concern was directed at Pacifica, who by that time was already balancing on the top.

He bit the insides of his mouth so hard it drew blood, and his eye's darkened in fury. "Get down. Now." It was right then he finally realized the seriousness of this situation. His daughter was depressed, and he did nothing to cure it. She was more than ready to kill herself because of their wrongdoings.

She had said nothing then; only a look of hatred flashed across her face. The rain made the tower slippery as she fumbled, and fell backwards off of the tower. She fell into the burbling creek below with a splash, startling the residents of Gravity Falls. They were stunned in silent mourning, shocked that something like that had really happened.

Tears began to pour from Mabel's eyes as she clutched onto Dipper, unable to look at the scene anymore. He felt bile rise up in his throat and coughed, his hands shaking as he cradled his tortured sister. Grenda and Candy joined in the hug.

The deputy and sheriff sprang into action, calling in backup to calm down the agitated crowd. Blubbs hurried over to the lake with Manly Dan and the two Pine brothers, to look for Pacifica's body. Priscilla had broken down in a sobbing mess, broken beyond repair. Nobody went over to comfort the woman, however, as they all were dealing with the shock in their own matter.

"That was a huge jump Pacifica took," Ford muttered, a calculating stare gazing over the water. "This river is going down the hill in a current. There's no way she could possibly survived that."

"She must've known the stakes at hand, then. And planned this for months. No one chooses to commit suicide overnight." Stan realized, eyes widening in horror.

Sherriff Blubbs waved his flashlight across the water, "I don't see any signs of the body. From the angle she jumped, she should have landed right over there," He announced, pointing east. He turned to the Pine brothers, "I'll send a search party now to look for her. We can't wait until dawn for this. I could need all the help I can get, so I'm hoping you two would assist me?"

Ford sighed and glanced over towards Dipper and Mabel, who were still in a state of shock. "I'll help. Stan, you've known these kids a lot longer than I have. You should be in the Shack with them while I search with the Sherriff."

He smiled sadly, grateful for his brother. "Alright. Just let me know when you've had enough and we can take turns. Don't exert yourself."

"Sounds good to me," He nodded, and then turned to the water tower, where Preston stood. He scoffed, "Someone should get him down from there, that good-for-nothing sleaze."

Blubbs turned to Durland, causing him to make an exaggerated groan. He hated the guy, he really did, but he was the only one small enough that could take him down without having the tower collapse under the weight. Stan escaped the crowd and came over to the kids, placing a hand on Dipper's shoulder. The young boy glanced up at him with teary eyes.

"C'mon, kid. Let's get you and your sister home," He assured, picking up Mabel. He then turned to Candy and Grenda, who were looking at him with pleading eyes. "You two should come along as well. Just give me your parents' numbers and I'll let them know you're staying the night." They smiled gratefully at the old man and followed him, getting farther and farther away from the agitated crowd. The Pine's family had bonded closer that night, despite the day they've had. They were, in fact, getting along so well, that Mabel smiled.

* * *

She was floating.

All she saw was darkness. She was in a weird state of purgatory, not really dead but not alive either. Despite that, the girl didn't feel any pain. She just felt emptiness. Her heart felt hollow and dry, unforgiving of the world. A tiny smile graced her lips as she hugged herself in this dark void in her mind, more than happy to escape her reality. Unknown angelic voices were muffled all around her, begging her to awaken. She refused to listen to them, unwilling to admit that her time was ready.

She briefly saw something that had shocked her, startling her into the great beyond. The person who was staring at her was a man, an old man with kind eyes and long white hair. He didn't say anything to her and neither did she; she felt comfortable in his presence. She felt tears prickle in her eyes as he smiled lovingly at her, and raised his hand in greeting.

Then, much to her surprise, she felt a bright light fill her body. She felt the need to laugh as the light grew bigger, brighter, and suddenly consumed her whole being. She had felt whole and completely alive again, both mentally and physically. The bright light had illuminated the darkness and she was no more in that state of purgatory, but in the real world, completely alive and human.

The girl gasped and sat up, quickly regretting it when she felt a sharp pain through her ribs. Her entire body and mind ached; she had cuts and bruises throughout her skin, some were even still bleeding. Once she made sure that she was alright, she glanced around at her surroundings. She was in the middle of a lake, or at least the very end of it, in a delta. There were trees and wildlife all around her that let the young girl know she was in some sort of forest.

The sun was shining high in the sky and little ducklings were swimming around her. The air felt as if it were singing to her it's joy and happiness, that how wonderful it was to be alive.

She let out a shriek when she finally took note of what she was floating on. She had somehow found a log big enough to hold her steady. She frantically glanced around for anything to push it with, but her arms were sore and tired.

"U-uh, hold on kid, don't move! I'm coming over there to help!" A voice cried, frantic. She wearily glanced over towards the man. He looked to be about in his early thirties, young, scruffy hair and a long beard. He had on fishermen's gear and placed down his pole. There were two children beside him, giggling, looking away from each other to watch the scene unfold. They seemed to be ten and eight, a girl with blonde and a boy with brown hair respectively. They looked nothing like their caretaker, so he was probably just watching over them for the day.

The young girl took this as an opportunity to at least try and move towards him, but that only led to her falling off of the log and splashing head first into the cool water.

"Oh no! Kid!" The man cried, gently picking her up out of the water with his strong arms. He pushed away the log from her. She sputtered uncontrollably, sneezing as the water got in her nose. "You took quite a beating, there, kid. Just what the heck were you thinking?!" He hadn't meant to raise his voice at her, but that caused the young girl to begin crying. She didn't look any older than twelve or thirteen, but in the state she was in, she was behaving as if she was three.

"Jeez, I didn't mean to yell! C'mon, let's get you into my van and dry you up. Your parents must be worried sick."

The little girl and boy bounced around at the sight of the newcomer, their eyes twinkling with excitement.

"Mr. Joe, Mr. Joe, where did that girl come from?" The boy asked, bouncing on his heels.

"Yeah Mr. Joe, we came here to look for fish, not humans!" The girl agreed in kind, giggling.

He chuckled wearily at the two. "I know boogers, but nobody would have helped her if we didn't do anything. She wouldn't have been able to survive out here, even though this is a protected national park."

The boy poked at the young girl's shoulder, "She looks really sad, doesn't she, Kelsey?"

Kelsey frowned and nodded, "I wonder if mean friends had done this to her, Austin. 'Cause if so, than it would explain why she's cryin'."

Austin puffed out his chest, "I wanna beat them up—that wasn't fair!" He proclaimed, making a fighting style with his fists.

Joe smiled at the kids, and shook his head. He placed the young girl gently in the back of the truck, making sure she was in a comfortable position. The girl had kept her head down and hunched over, but he could see the cuts all over her face and tattered clothing. He even took this time to notice her hair, or lack thereof. It was cut off in patches like someone ripped it off, or someone unexperienced handled a razor and it ended poorly. Some of it was blonde, but the roots were brown; he had hoped that in time her natural color would grow in.

"What's your name, kiddo?" He asked kindly, taking out a wipe from the first aid kid. She didn't answer him at first and mumbled.

"What if she doesn't have a name, Mr. Joe?" Kelsey wondered, a thoughtful look on his face.

"Everyone has a name," He assured her, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder as she winced in pain, "Sometimes we get names we don't like, but it's ours. That's how life is sometimes."

"I like my name," Austin smiled, pointing to himself. Kelsey giggled.

The girl had mumbled again this time, but loud enough for Joe to hear. "I don't like my name."

"What? You don't?" He asked, surprised. This girl sure was strange.

"Oh! Oh, then can we name her?" Kelsey asked giddily, bouncing on her feet, her pigtails flying as well.

"I don't like my name," She repeated again, much harsher this time. Joe flinched back when she began to cry once more, her voice hoarse.

He glanced over at the children, unsure of what to do. Ever since he had decided to go into the restaurant business he never got the chance to settle down. He was good with kids, anyone could see that, but when it came to comforting or raising one he was at a loss. He didn't have the parenting instinct that some people were just born with.

Kelsey pondered for a moment and grinned, taking the girl's shaking hands into hers. "I know what to call you!" She exclaimed, like she was talking to a small puppy.

"She sure is mysterious, huh Kelsey?" Austin said, climbing onto the truck to sit next to her.

"That's her name! Mystery," She beamed, "Mystery River."

Joe chuckled and began to clean the girl's hand from dirt. "She needs a last name."

"North," Austin piped up, glancing towards the river, "Because she came from that direction!"

Something flashed in Mystery's eyes then, and she glanced up for the first time at her rescuers. She moved her lips to form her new name, and they trembled. Kelsey's triumphant smile turned into a frown.

"You don't like it?" She whimpered, looking at the ground.

Mystery gave them a close mouthed smile, and without warning, pulled the three of them into a hug. She loved the name. It was perfect.


	5. Chapter Five: Home away from Home

**Nikki's Note: Part three of Mystery's backstory arc, 'One of a Kind'. Two more to go.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Five: Home away from Home**_

The sun was shining that day, the birds were chirping, and there was not a cloud in the sky.

Joe grinned as an upbeat pop song blasted through his truck's speakers. He checked the rearview mirror to see that Austin and Kelsey were bobbing along to the music, the blondie singing at the top of her lungs. Mystery was quiet and brooding, her eyes closed as she placed her head on the window. Her hands were twitching and folded firmly in her lap.

The two kids were too happy in their reverie to even notice Mystery's lament, and that saddened Joe. Mystery was such a young girl; she shouldn't be so sad and secluded like this. Young girls like her should be happy, full of life, and living their days to the fullest.

He frowned; first things first, he had to talk with Sherriff Miller. He needed some advice about this situation, and he knew the respected woman would know how to handle it.

Joe slowed his truck to an appropriate speed and turned into the driveway. He smiled at the kids when he got into a parking spot. "Hey Austin, Kelly, do you mind if we take a detour to the Sherriff's? I'll only be a minute."

"Don't turn us in, Mr. Joe!" Austin wailed, waving his arms frantically. "I swear I didn't eat the last cookie!"

"I may or may not have encouraged him," Kelsey muttered, "You can't prove anything."

Joe laughed at the kids and got out of the car, quickly moving so that he can open up the door for them. He gave Mystery a confident smile when she glanced up at him. "You stay with them, okay? I promise we won't take too long."

The mysterious girl could only nod as Kelsey grasped her hand, and the four friends made their way into the police station. Mystery tensed as she walked into the nicely lit, clean building of the police station. Springfield may be a small town, but crime never sleeps, even here. Sherriff Miller hires the best to keep the criminals at bay and to not disturb the peace. She's been a long term friend of Joe's for many years; they graduated high school together.

Joe took a deep breath as his hands grew clammy, and he turned to the mysterious girl he rescued. She was semi playing with the kids, entertaining them with her hands. She was a quiet one, that was for sure, and he had to wonder for the second time just what had happened to her. He wasn't sure how he'd handle the truth when it came.

He walked past the secretary who smiled at him, and he motioned towards her office.

"She's in," The man replied, and smiled at the kids. "Don't worry, I'll make sure they don't wander off."

He nodded in thanks and opened the door.

Sherriff Judy Miller greeted Joe with a wave. "Howdy, friend. What brings you here? Did someone vandalize the _Pancake House_ again?" She was young, in her mid-twenties, with long brown hair and olive skin. Her family was born in Egypt but she grew up in America.

He chuckled as he remembered a few nasty teens who decided to graffiti the windows last December. "Not this time. I'm here on a rather unexpected turn of events."

Judy raised a perfectly trimmed eyebrow, "How can a fishing trip go wrong?"

Joe fumbled his words and took a deep breath, glancing out the window. Mystery had lost interest at the two kids and was staring out the window beside her. She was drawing invisible objects with her hand as Kelsey and Austin played with one another.

"Joe," She warned, catching his gaze. "Who is that girl?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," He sighed, and bracing himself, he retold the accounts of what happened only an hour before.

Sherriff Miller sat quietly and listened, calculating Joe's face and body expression. She sat poised and confident, never tearing her eyes off of his. She had heard of stranger stories about missing children, but she knew that this was going to be different from the others. Something catastrophic must've happened to the child in order for her to end up like that, and she feared the worst. She believed Joe's tall tale; he was a trustworthy citizen, and only wanted to help. If he hadn't, the poor girl would've been dead.

She leaned back in her chair when Joe finished, and nodded. "Bring her in," She said, to which Joe frowned. "I know what I'm doing. I want to speak with the child."

"Okay, if you say so." He shrugged, and poked his head out the door. Kelsey and Austin were giggling at whatever he said, followed by a melancholic Mystery. The young girl kept her head down as she walked beside Joe, and plopped herself in a seat.

"Hello, sweetie," Judy began, leaning forward, "I'd like to ask you a few questions, and I'd like for you to answer them if you don't mind?"

Mystery wearily glanced at her rescuer, who gave her an encouraging smile. She didn't say anything and nodded.

"Good." The Sherriff smiled, and pulled out a plush ball from her desk. She tossed it over to Mystery, who had quick reflexes, and caught it. "Now. What's your name?"

"Mystery River North," She announced quietly, playing with the ball.

"I heard that's what Kelsey gave you. But, I'm asking for your real name. The one your mommy gave you. Could you tell me what that is?"

"No." She sneered.

Sherriff Miller didn't miss a beat, "Is that a no because you've forgotten your name or a no because it's confidential?"

"Yes." She replied, unable to answer. She threw back the plush ball.

"How old are you?"

"My birthday's next week." Mystery muttered, much to the surprise of the two adults. "I'll be thirteen."

"Thirteen," Judy repeated, in awe. She's so young, and yet, in so much pain. Every time the poor girl answered a question, her voice was in monotone, dead. It broke her heart. "I have a son that age. Do you have any siblings?"

"No." She grasped the ball again, her hands shaking.

"What are your parents like? Where are they?"

"I don't know."

There was silence. Joe gave Judy a sad look that begged her to stop, and placed a comforting hand on Mystery's shoulder.

"Mystery," She began again, taking a drink of water. "Why exactly where you floating in Springfield's river bend at 8:30am this morning?"

Mystery hesitated; she had tears in her eyes as she spoke, "I didn't mean it."

"What?" Joe asked, speaking for the first time since the interrogation started.

Her voice grew louder, more hysterical as she went on. "I just thought it would make everyone's lives easier if I'd kill myself!" She sobbed, "Everyone is so much happier now that I'm _dead._ "

The Sherriff was frozen in shock, her hand trembling with grief. She knew she had crossed the line right then, and put the other questions she wanted to ask aside. This poor girl was probably pushed to the extreme, by family or other forces of nature, and she chose to end her life. Something short of a miracle happened that she didn't, and was given a second chance to do well for the world. Her past didn't matter anymore now, Judy realized; the future had to be a better place for this child.

She had gotten up from her seat and went over to her, wrapping her arms around the crying girl. All of her actions made sense now; the overwhelming feeling of sadness, detachment, and gloomy appearance she presented were all clues to the puzzle. It would take her a long time to get back on her feet, but Judy sure as hell hoped that it would happen one day.

"Mystery, sweetie, listen to me," She spoke softly, cupping the girl's cheek in her hand, "Never believe that. Ever. Never believe that people are glad that you've died. I can assure you that someone out there is crying over you right now, wishing that you're alive and well. I'm not a very religious person, but I know a miracle when I see it. God gave you a second chance, Mystery, he forgave you, for whatever wrongs you've done in your past life, so that you can have a better future. It's up to you, now, to make sure that future is even better than your past. Are you willing to accept that challenge for me? The new life challenge?"

Tears were streaming down Mystery's face as she stared through Judy's kind eyes, her heart breaking down the walls she had built up. She was not expecting to hear those words, as they were a welcome change. Those words gave the girl hope, and that was all she needed.

Joe wiped his eyes and cleared his throat, catching the two girls' attention, "Uh, Sherriff, there is also one thing I've been meaning to ask you."

"Yes, Joe?" She replied, still holding onto Mystery's hand.

"I know that… for a normal protocol whenever you find a missing child they're taken into custody of the town, and missing persons posters are put up everywhere. But, I was hoping that you'd make an exception, for me, to adopt Mystery? I'd hate to see this poor girl in foster care, ending up in a less attractive environment than when she'd came from." He spoke confidently, his eyes trained on hers with hopes she'll agree.

"This is indeed a special case," Sherriff Miller agreed, standing up, "I'd have to hold a conference with the Mayor, but in the end the decision falls down to Mystery. You'd also have to change your apartment so that it's kid friendly for the child, and fix the spare room into a bedroom. That'll take a few days at least. I'll see what I can do in the meantime."

Joe smiled, and shared a knowing look with Mystery, whose eyes glistened with tears again. "But, where will Mystery sleep tonight?"

The Sherriff chuckled and took a good look at the girl, sitting before her, "First things first, Mystery needs a nice warm shower and new clothes. I'm getting off my shift in an hour, so take her to the diner for some food and I'll take her out to the local market. We'll cross that bridge when we get there."

Mystery let a small smile grace her lips at the mention of new clothes, and nodded gratefully at the Sherriff. "Thank you." She said quietly, and got up. Judy gave her one more hug goodbye as they walked out, greeting Kelsey and Austin. She waited until they were out of the police station before closing the door, siting back down on her desk. She let out a sigh, drumming her fingers on her desk. She was going to have to make a lot of phone calls.

* * *

The sun was in the middle of the sky when Sherriff Miller ended her day, and bid farewell to her employees. She scheduled an appointment with the Mayor for the following day in hopes of discussing their current crisis. He seemed on board with the idea, but something told Judy that he would need a little more persuasion. They had a young, stubborn Mayor, who had just recently been elected. He put what the people thought before the matter at hand, which had often caused some conflictions.

Judy shook her head and got into her car, driving down the road to _Joe's Pancake House_. Once she entered, she was greeted with the sounds of clashing silverware and the smells of delicious food. The food here was legendary, and people from all over lined up to get a healthy serving of mashed potatoes.

In the middle of it all, sat Mystery, slurping down hungrily a big bowl chicken noodle soup. Judy smiled, but her heart ached for the young girl was acting as if she'd never had a good meal in weeks. Besides her were some of the woman in town from the local book club, chatting animatedly with Joe and admiring Mystery.

She chuckled and smiled at a few of the customers who greeted her, making small talk before walking up to the counter. Joe tipped his cap and grinned.

"Oh, Joseph, your grand-niece is a doll! She's so polite and sweet!" One of the ladies cooed, handing Mystery another napkin.

"How long will she be staying in Springfield? Summer's almost over, and I presume she'll have to go back to school." Another mused, eyeing him curiously.

"We're kinda figuring that part out, as there is some family drama going on that's confidential to her, if worse comes to worse, I'll have to fix up that old spare room for her. That doesn't sound too bad, does it kid?" He said smoothly, faltering a little bit when he saw the Sherriff.

Mystery smiled in kind, obviously keen on the idea before turning back to her soup.

"She's a quiet one, though, isn't she?" One lady asked the other, who nodded.

"Heya, Sherriff," Joe smiled, he turned to Mystery, "You ready to go, kid?"

Mystery smiled and quietly thanked him before turning to Judy, and slid off the chair. The ladies beside her waved her off as the girl took Judy's hand surprisingly. The Sherriff hesitated and shared a look with Joe, who gave her a reassuring smile. Together, somehow, they'll make Mystery's time here a little brighter, even if it takes them years. In another universe, maybe they actually were together, raising a depressed young teen named Mystery, and helping her through these hard times. Funny how life worked out this way instead.


	6. Chapter Six: First World Problems

**Nikki's Note: Guys I finally saw The Good Dinosaur. I cried. Anyway, here's Part Four to 'One of a Kind'. One more to go and then we're at the main story again! Thanks for reading :)**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Six: First World Problems**_

Summer had come and gone too quickly for Mystery, and before she knew it, she was starting her seventh grade year at Springfield Elementary School. The town's system was different as it had its seven and eighth graders with the younger kids in one district, and a few blocks down was the high school.

Mystery nervously eyed the elementary school from her window in the car, her hands sweating.

The final weeks of summer passed by a little too quickly for her taste, seeing how comfortable she'd gotten with the people of Springfield. They were all so kind to her, and some even believed that she was Joe's grand-niece. She shouldn't have been surprise that rumors spread quickly here, but it was a welcome change to be greeted nicely by strangers.

Mystery had decided to move in with Joe once all the court papers and things were settled. She briefly stayed with Judy in her home while Joe was setting up her bedroom. The diner quickly became her happy place, and even politely chatted with some of the local kids her age. She landed a part time job looking after Kelsey and Austin, who begged their parents for her. They relented, and after having met the girl (who by then had a dramatic wardrobe change and hair growth) decided that she was perfect.

Joe's diner quickly became a safe haven for Mystery. If she wasn't looking over Kelsey and Austin, or hanging outside, she also worked in the _Pancake House_. It was a great way for her to meet more of Springfield's people, who happily accepted her into the town.

It was a rainy, gloomy day outside when Mystery re-discovered her talent for art and painting. She slowly grew to loving bright colors and character designs over the course of the summer. Art was a perfect outlet for her to chill, or block out her evil thoughts if she was having a terrible moment. Joe was more than happy to accept this coping mechanism that she created; it was much better than what it could've been, at least.

He leaned over the counter and saw that she was drawing a hippogriff, with such detail it was like they really existed. He quickly caught on that Mystery had a secret love fantasy and magical creatures; fairies, vampires, dragons, anything under the sun. They looked just as amazing in her water color paintings as they did in pencil.

"Hey, kid. What do you say we find you an even bigger canvas when the storm clears up?" He asked, cleaning a plate.

Mystery's eyes widened in excitement, and she nodded. That was how the two found her abandoned ballet studio. Joe had to ask their Mayor if they were able to paint on it, and they were given the okay. Every weekend since then, she was there, painting until her hearts' desire. She later earned two nicknames to the people of Springfield 'The Diner Girl' and 'Miss Mona Lisa'.

The week of her birthday had probably been one of the best of her life. She had woken up to a steaming hot plate of oatmeal and bananas, cooked by her honorary father. She was then taken into town often curtesy of Judy and the troublemakers (whom she dubbed Kelsey and Austin) for the day, unaware the Joe was slowly prepping the house for the party. They traveled to all of her favorite places to hang out and even visited Mystery's mural, which was nowhere near finished at the time. During this time Mystery also hung out with Judy's son, Mike, who had developed a bit of a one-sided crush since he met her. He quickly became one of her closest friends in Springfield, aside from Kelsey.

Then when her birthday came, she was greeted with love and affection, something that was so overwhelming for the poor girl. She hadn't expected to be so welcomed into her new home so quickly, after her frightful beginning. She had openly cried when a cake appeared in Joe's hands, filled with her favorite colors and frosting. Everybody that she had grown to love within the past two months were there; Judy, Joe, Mike, Kelsey, and Austin. In that moment she had found her tribe, her forever family, and it was better than anything she had hoped for.

"Hey, Myst," Joe called from the front seat, taking her out of her thoughts. He turned to smile at her, "You're going to be fine. I promise."

Mystery took a deep breath and nodded, her hands shaking as she gripped the handle. She held on tightly to her art book that she had gotten for her birthday. It filled her with a sense of determination, and smiling confidently at her father, she went out the door.

"Have a great day at school, Mystery!" He called, chuckling as the teen passed him an embarrassed glare. He had to do that at least once.

She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear as Joe drove off, and glanced around the playground. She was early, which was good, because not a lot of kids were here yet. There were a few eight graders hanging around the swing set, talking in loud voices. Even though these kids were only a grade above her, they still felt worlds away. Middle school was a stupid idea, she scoffed; everyone was still in their awkward growing period stages. But, she knew at the same time, she had to make the best of it. Moping around and sulking wouldn't make her day any better. That's something the _old_ Mystery would do.

She found a shady area by the trees and sat down, opening up her art book. She turned to a page that was half finished, and readied a pencil. This time, it was a group of gnomes, all seated in a field of mushrooms. One was playing the ukulele, while the other was sleeping. Gnomes were her favorite, she'd decided.

"This one's turning out really good!" A voice said from behind her shoulder, causing Mystery to jump. She whirled around to see her best friend Mike, who was blushing. He laughed, patting her shoulder. "Sorry, Myst. I didn't mean to scare you like that. Mind if I sit?"

She grinned and nodded, patting the grass. She was grateful she didn't have to talk much in this relationship, seeing how Mike talked enough for the both of them. He loved keeping a good conversation going, even if it became boring after a while. He never pushed her into saying anything either; to some, it was like they developed their own language together.

The Japanese-American boy nervously tugged at his new shirt, glancing around the courtyard. "So, what do you think our first day of middle school will be like? I'm kind of nervous. I mean, I've known most of these kids since we were in diapers together, but still…" He reached out a blue coloring pencil from Mystery's bag and handed it to her. "There's a lot more responsibility on our shoulders. And homework."

Mystery scoffed at the idea, not liking that either.

"But, you know, you're right. Maybe this'll be fun! There'll be new kids coming in from other towns that we can meet! That doesn't sound too bad," He smiled at her, "Don't worry, if you ever feel uncomfortable, you don't have to stay with them."

She smiled happily at her friend. Personally, she was really excited to meet some new kids. She just panics under social pressure sometimes. The two slipped into a quiet moment, Mystery finishing her picture and Mike shifting through his backpack. Around them, more students had shown up into the playground and it became more crowded, loud, and messy. Crying first graders hung onto their mommas while sixth graders took up most of the walkway, using chalk to recreate their summer days.

Mystery's heart began to beat loudly in her chest, as she suddenly became weary of her surroundings. She remembered just why she was nervous in the first place, the loud static noise around her became unbearable. She was ready to pack her stuff and run head first back to the diner, when a mean, irritating laugh broke through their bubble.

"Hah! Look who it is, guys, it's the famous Diner Girl! Hey kid, how about you make my friends and I some chicken soup?" The boy laughed, causing Mystery to briefly glance at her opponent. He was huge. He looked very intimidating, leaning over her, very heavy set and definitely no more than five foot seven. He even had a little stubble growing on his face, puberty having hit him faster than the other students. Though, none of that confused Mystery. The only thing she wondered, was that she didn't even know him. Why the heck would he be angry at her already?

Mike growled at him, his hands shaking. "Leave her alone, Eli."

"Aw, how cute! Chung Lee here is defending his little girlfriend!" He looked at his posse, a group of boys who should be in high school, who laughed.

"For the last time, my name is Mike!"

Eli laughed even harder and gripped Mike's collar, causing him to gulp, "Listen here looser; shut up unless you want me to take this into the bathroom."

Mike's face turned pale and he frowned, grunting as Eli plopped him back on the grass.

"Anyways, where was I? Oh yeah!" Eli turned to Mystery, bending over her. "So, Diner Girl, whatcha drawing?"

She didn't answer him. She kept her cool as Eli chuckled, and grasped her paper with his large hands. She didn't flinch as he teared it out of her notebook, and flung it into the trashcan. He laughed obnoxiously with his friends while Mystery just stared at her now ripped paper. Mike looked ready to punch the bully in the face, but she placed a comforting hand on his arm. She smiled at him confidently, winking. Taking a deep breath, she walked over to the garbage can where he had thrown, finding her painting in the top. She took it, smothering it out, and walked back over to where Mike sat.

Eli stopped laughing as Mystery took out another pencil this time, writing something on the back of it. She then sauntered over to the bully and handed it to him, smirking. He grumbled at her, taking it, turning all shades of red. Mystery picked up her things and held out her hand to Mike, who gratefully took it. He passed a glare towards Eli as they walked, who was too busy being embarrassed about the whole ordeal.

He took one more glance back at him before turning to Mystery, his eyes sparkling, "So, are you gonna tell me what you wrote?"

Mystery snickered, whispering, "Let's just say Eli now knows who he's messing with."

Laughing, Mike wrapped his arms around his friends shoulder, and the two walked into their first day of middle school.

* * *

Navigating the hallways of her new elementary school was one of the most difficult tasks of Mystery's life. She was glad she had Mike with her, because she would've given up and gone home a long time ago.

"Erm, okay. It says that seventh grade lockers are up this way…" Mike squinted, turning around their school map. "Wait. I'm confused."

The quiet girl looked at the hall they were in and blinked in surprise. Bright, happy colors decorated the brick and huge smiling suns were painted in yellow. Projects of macaroni art and rainbows were also hung on classroom windows, too cheery for older children. They were far from where they were supposed to be. Mystery tugged at his shoulder and pointed.

"Aw, dang it! We're on the other side of the building. We'll never make it in time." He huffed, stomping his feet. Mystery rolled her eyes at him and glanced around for an office of sorts, grinning in triumph when she found one. She poked her head in and glanced around, relieved that there was someone at their desk. The nametag read Sonja Ross. The young woman poked her head from her computer and glanced up at her, smiling.

"Yes, dear? You look a little too old to be in the elementary school wing." She chuckled, kindly motioning her to come in.

Mystery pulled a fuming Mike into the room, pointing at the map. She nodded once, waving at Mike.

"Ah, I see Mr. Miller. I can help you two find the middle school wing if you'd like?"

Mike's eyes widened in happiness as he cheered, "Thanks so much Ms. Ross! But, ah, we don't want to busy you too much."

She got up from her desk, giggling at the boy. "Call me Miss Sonja, I'm not that much older than you kids after all. Calling me by my last name makes me feel old," She took a look at the map, "Hmm, well you're not too far off. Just remember to look at the walls for a guide. The middle school wing has two stripes of blue and gold, representing our school colors. Whereas this place looks like a rainbow threw up on it."

Mike and Mystery giggled, happy that they had a nice guide. Sonja had known Mike's mother for a long time, and even once babysat the kid when he was little. Mystery quickly took a liking to the bubbly woman.

The school didn't seem so hard to navigate once they finally reached their destination, and Sonja grinned at the two. "That wasn't so bad, was it? Just remember, there are actually three entrances into here. One is the main entrance by the courtyard, another is through the gym that leads to the middle school lockers, and another is through the parking lot. If you ever get lost again, don't be shy to stop by my office, okay?" She assured, ruffling Mike's hair and giving a kind smile towards Mystery.

"Aren't I the best at navigating things?" Mike chuckled, wincing as Mystery punched him on the shoulder. "Okay, okay. I know I shouldn't take other people's credit. Let's find our lockers and get on to homeroom!"

With renewed confidence, the day passed by fairly quickly after that. They were relieved to find that Eli or his goons weren't in any of their classes. The seventh grade and the eighth grade classrooms were on opposite sides of the hallways, so they did often bump into him. No trouble was caused between them, just the occasional glare or shove. Bullies like Eli hate to admit it when they're taken down a few pegs. All in all, she liked her teachers.

Lunch time, however, was a whole different jungle. Everybody ate together in the Canteen, and Mystery had lost her friend right when they walked in. It seemed that everybody had their own click already, and there were no seats left. She gulped and took a step forward, keeping her head down as she shoved through her peers. She made a beeline for the lunch lady and let out a sigh of relief. As long as she got her food, everything would be okay. She had snacks in her backpack, but they weren't filling enough. The nice lady who served her was so welcoming, giving her an extra slice of pizza. She'd told Mystery good luck on her first day and that she'd come by the diner later. One of the plus signs of being Joe's adopted daughter was that everybody already knew her. No introductions were needed!

Mystery safely made it out of the lunchroom and out into the playground, looking for her best friend. She finally found him, sitting alone, playing his video game. He glanced up at her and his eyes lit up.

"Mystery! There you are! Man, it's a mad house in there. I'm sorry I lost you." He mumbled, but she shook her head. She happily plopped down next to him and began to eat. He put his DS away and took out an apple juice, raising it up in the air. "Hey, Mystery, let's make a toast!" She giggled and rolled her eyes at him, taking out her Capri Sun. "To stinky gym lockers!"

Smiling, she raised her drink, "To stinky gym lockers."


	7. Chapter Seven: I Will Fear No Evil

**Nikki's Note: Hey all! Apologies for the lack updates last week, I had just started my Spring Semester at college and it's been a doozy :-P Also, this was a difficult chapter to write for me, so I kinda took breaks in between and had a good cry, ahaha. Anyways, the regular schedule will continue this week, one tonight and another on friday or saturday! So look out for another chapter in my other book, Opposing Codes! Hope you all will enjoy this final episode in Mystery's backstory arc.**

 **Mabel: F.I.N.A.L.L.Y! I'm getting so sad with all this depressing stuff! Time for the happy!**

 **(Grinning, she releases a huge explosion of confetti that covers Dipper's face. He rolls his eyes at her, grumbling as she cackles like a maniac. Nikki slowly walks out of the room, notebook and pen in hand.)**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Seven: I Will Fear No Evil**_

Sherriff Blubs and Deputy Durland searched for hours with the Pine brothers. They had gotten no leads with the investigation so far, even though they were experienced officers. No matter how long they've been protectors of the town, it seemed that this was a first case that couldn't be cracked. There were too many potholes. Nothing made sense. There were no remaining pieces found that belonged to Pacifica. It was as if she just disappeared.

"This is the strangest mystery I have ever been a part of, Stan," Ford grumbled, heaving in pain. "Suicides always leave something behind. There's always a culprit. There's always something… just something that we can use as evidence!"

Stan Pines wearily looked at his brother, concerned for his health. "You're forgetting that every case is also different. And… there is one place we haven't looked yet." He muttered, looking past the town at the Northwest mansion. It has been exactly twenty four hours since Pacifica's brutal end, and the old mansion looked worse for wear. That side of town and everything around it had been abandoned, the people of Gravity Falls refusing to go near. Ford caught onto his brother's drift and gasped. "But whoa there, I think we should call it a night. You're not looking to good. Is, uh, everything okay?"

"Why should you care about my health, Stanley?" He chuckled bitterly, "Aren't you still mad at me?"

"Bro," He sighed, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder. "For the kid's sake, I'm going to put my feelings about this whole mess aside. Bill's still out there, ready to cause havoc at any given moment, but right now, all I care about is my six fingered goof."

The elder twin took in deep breaths and sighed, placing a hand to his chest. "I have heart problems, Stan. Ever since I came back to Gravity Falls, I… I hadn't realized how much stress this whole drama-fest has affected me. If I get another attack from this… it might be my last chance."

Stan was frozen in the spot, his eyes widening in fear. "God damn it Ford, we're sixty-eight years old! When we reach seventy in a few years we'll be elder status! C'mon, don't you want to hang on that long to get free drinks from dopes at the convenience store?"

"I wish I could, bro," He gave him a sad smile, "Please, just keep this as a secret from the kids for now." He let out a sigh, feeling the weight lifted from his chest.

Stan grumbled and rolled his eyes, "I've been keeping secrets my whole life. If this doesn't kill me, I don't know what will."

"Thank you, Stanley. I really do love you." He said after a moment, silencing his brother once again. The aged man could only stare, at a loss for words. He wasn't making an effort to speak when the Sherriff and his Deputy walked out of their office.

Sherriff Blubs cleared his throat, a grave look on his face, "We get one more day to investigate this case, but we're at a loss. Those Northwests are about as good as a house on fire; they won't speak for nothing. We have one more day, until we are forced by our local priest to prep for the funeral."

"Tell me Sherriff, why the hell are we having a funeral if there's no body to bury?" Stan rounded on him, still worked up over the previous conversation.

"That was on us," He glared back, "We've found nothing. No evidence. For situations like this, the public just has to assume the worst, and we won't answer any questions. That's just how things work around here, whether you like it or not."

"Who hired you, Blubs? That's a pretty lousy answer for a cop," He sneered, balling up his fists. Ford placed a hand on his brother's shoulder, having gotten up from his seat.

"Let it go, Stan. Let's call it a night." He dragged a fuming Stan out of the police station, glaring daggers at Gravity Falls' good-for-nothing protectors.

The Pine brothers walked in silence in the cool summer night. Stan was ahead of his brother, kicking the dirt or anything in sight. His posture was hunched, and his hands shook with anxiety. He trudged forward, letting his twin silently analyze the situation that had just unfolded.

 _Maybe we're looking at this the wrong way_ , Ford grumbled to himself, _Even though Pacifica was a spoilt brat from what I've gathered, she meant something to this town. We are treating the situation too delicately. We need to take this matter into our own hands somehow._ He nodded and hurried to catch up with his brother. Stan kicked a beer bottle into the nearest alley which caused a series of loud crashes and screams from tiny critters. He let out a sigh and placed a hand on his shoulder, causing his brother to turn his head. He was shocked when he saw that Stan's eyes were red and glistened with tears, his aging face displayed more wrinkles than ever before. Normally Ford was the emotional one; normally Stan was the one who had to beat up some lousy sucker who bullied the six fingered genius. He chuckled when he realized that maybe he and his beloved twin weren't so different after all.

"Stanley," He grinned, patting his back, "I have an idea."

An hour later, the Pine family were all settled in the Shack, including Soos, Candy, Wendy, and Grenda. They were surprised to see that Manly Dan had loosened his grip on his daughter for one night, just so she could be with her friends. They needed all the help they could get.

Once everyone was all accounted for, Mabel spoke up, "What's this family meeting all about, Grunkle Stan? I thought that we were all kinda… I dunno…" She nervously wringed her hands together. Dipper sighed, risking a glance at their guardian.

"I think it's time that we all talk about what happened this week. We've all said a few things that hurt each other." He grumbled, his stomach doing summersaults.

"Well, both of you kids are right, but I called you six for something else entirely." Grunkle Ford announced, nodding to Soos.

Soos cleared his throat, breaking the awkward tension from the Pine family. He raised his hand. "What's that, Mister Pines? By the way, I don't think we've formally introduced each other yet. My name's Soos! Do you mind if I call you Mister Pines?"

Mabel cracked a grin as the genius chuckled at him, waving his hand, "Please, young man, Mister Pines is my father. Call me Ford."

The handyman grinned and nodded, "Great. Yeah, I can see how that would get confusing."

Grunkle Stan rolled his eyes at the two and fought back a smile, when he cleared his throat. "Look, kids. I'm not going to lie when I say that this past week has been hard on all of us. What happened today was just the icing on the cake. But, instead of having a boring intervention where we all talk our feelings out, Ford and I have decided to tackle this situation in a way only the Pines family can. We're going to solve our problems by discovering the real reason behind Pacifica's suicide."

Dipper's eyes widened. Mabel let out a gasp, reaching for her brother's hand. Candy, Grenda, and Wendy all let out similar noises of surprise. It was Soos who looked the most calm in this situation, nodding at the elder brothers.

"So," Grunkle Ford grinned, looking at each family member. "Who's coming with us?"

Dipper was the first to speak, getting up from the couch, "I'm in." He smiled, fixing his cap. Mabel nodded with him.

"If my stupid brother's going, I'm going too." She announced, slapping him on the back. He laughed and wrapped an arm around her.

"I seriously need this adventure, dudes. I'm coming with." Wendy announced, winking at Dipper. He blushed at her and smiled, which she noticed.

"We're a package deal!" Grenda only roared, grabbing Candy by the hand. "If there's an angry ghost or poltergeist, you're gonna need us!"

Grunkle Stan and Ford laughed at the girls, and looked over to Soos. He stood up and fixed his cap, his eyes burning with passion. "You already know my answer."

The twin brothers glanced at each other and nodded, before turning back to their family. "Alright, gang. Let's get going."

Hours later, the sky was pitch black in Gravity Falls. The stars were out, blinking and displaying a beautiful lightshow. Those who dared venture out this late were able to see the stars because every single light was shut off, even the street lamps. It created a dark and eerie setting. Crickets and tiny critters were the only things that stepped foot outside to make noise.

The Northwest Mansion loomed overhead, just a distance away from the Pine family. Now that no one was living in the old home, it looked deserted on the large hill. A light fog had draped around it, creating a haunting aura.

Ford Pine led the traveling group, his eyes trained on their destination.

"So, Preston and Priscilla haven't said anything since they've been in jail?" Wendy spoke up, concern and disbelief draped in her voice.

"Those rich bastards would hardly be any help if they did open their filthy mouths," Stan grumbled darkly, glaring at the street.

"You would think that they'd show some sympathy for their daughter." Mabel sighed, wrapping her arms around her stomach, "They spoilt her rotten, after all."

"It was for show," Dipper growled, kicking a pebble. "Preston was downright cruel to Pacifica. If she ever got in trouble, she was banished from the mansion."

A sound of disgust came from Wendy, who shook her head. "That's psychotic."

Candy then spoke up, after a moment of silence, "Um. Okay, I know this is a crazy thought. But… do you guys wonder if Pacifica really isn't dead?" She blushed when her friends stared at her in hard surprise. "It explains why your Grunkles haven't found anything. And they're working with professionals."

Mabel frowned, considering. "It would explain a few things. Though, no one would believe us. The new question we would have to ask is, where the heck is she?"

"That river passes by three different towns." Dipper analyzed, "By the time Pacifica would've gotten to the end, she would either be eaten by some rouge animal, or injured to the point of death. Either way, the odds are against her."

"Let's just hope that we can find enough information behind this so her spirit could be put to rest." Soos admitted, sighing. "Having an angry ghost stuck in purgatory with a vengeance is something I'd not want to wish on my worst enemy."

Wendy nodded, agreeing with the wise handyman. "I'll drink to that."

"Kid, you're underage." Stan chuckled, smiling for the first time in weeks.

She winked at him, her face turning pink. "What my dad doesn't know won't hurt him. Hey, Dipper, when I'm old enough, we're totally going clubbing." She beamed, turning to Dipper.

The young pre-teen blinked, his cheeks flushed. Mabel was hiding a laugh behind her palm. In his mind, Dipper was having trouble getting rid of an image of Wendy in a sleek, dark outfit and skinny jeans, with her hair tied up. "Oh. Uh. Right. You and me. Clubbing." He sputtered, causing the group to laugh.

Ford smiled as the air around them turned lighter than before, and he ringed his hands together. "Alright, we all have walkie talkies. We'll be searching around the mansion in pairs. I've made a map of the entire place for us so I'll be able to guide you. Dipper, Mabel, you'll search the upstairs bedrooms. Soos, Wendy, search the main floor. Candy, Grenda, you two get the basement and storage rooms. Stan and I will do a perimeter check of the entire place, make sure nothing is out of order."

"Everyone all clear on the plan? We'll meet in the ballroom at 3am." Stan assured, as the family reached the foot of the stairs. The mystery crew all announced noises of agreement before they hurried off.

0o0o0o

It had only been a few moments since the group split, and no luck was found. The Northwest Family were good at one thing, at least. They knew how to cover up their tracks. Soos and Wendy, when they searched the main floors and the large, expensive kitchens, found a trail of broken glass leading to the pantry. There was blood and wine mixed in the damage, something that the red haired girl nearly barfed at. Soos comforted her while she cried before the two employees continued with their search.

Candy and Grenda could only find large paintings and family heirlooms in the basement. Beautiful jewelry, dresses, and home appliances were all stored in boxes. It was like a garage sale was left abandoned down there, and the two girls were going crazy with their find. It wasn't until Soos came down and dragged the both of them out.

The Pine brothers were really just talking with one another rather than searching. Stan and Ford had many years of neglect and regret to settle, as they walked along the cemetery. They were finally able to talk things out, get a better understanding of one another, and move on from the past. Move on from the pains where they were both tricked by the dream demon, overcome their worries and better their strengths. They made a pact that no matter what happened then and onward, they would always tell each other, and solve it together. Their old promise of one day sailing the world had risen from the ashes, and a child-like aura engulfed the two of them. They were finally able to cry, and laugh with one another, the anchors weighing them down from the past long since lifted. Only three important words were needed to be said, and they were unconditionally.

Meanwhile, Dipper and Mabel awkwardly walked in silence through the long, beautifully decorated hallway. He tucked two journals under his arms and was holding the second one, avoiding eye-contact with his more eccentric sister. She trudged beside him, a frown etched into her face and she was grumbling to herself.

They glanced up at each other, once, until they both had the courage to say something.

"Mabel, we didn't really get the chance to—"

"Dipper, this whole situation is just—do you think it's—"

They stopped, grinning awkwardly at each other as they both tried to get the other to speak first. Dipper put the journal back in his sweater.

"I'm sorry." They both said at the same time, catching the other off guard.

"What are you apologizing for, Mabel? If anything, I should be the one who—!"

"No, I, it's partially my fault. You really wanted to do that internship with Grunkle Ford and I shouldn't have stopped you. Learning about more nerd things is your passion, Dipper, and plus you two would be adventuring all the time, so you would've been able to do two things you love at your own pace. I would've slowed you down if I came. Heck, that's exactly what I was doing, fighting with you all the time. It's not…it's not my job as a sister to stop you from your dreams. It's my job as a sister to support you, and be there for you, even if I don't like it." She spoke wisely, tears glistening in her eyes. "I just wished I realized that sooner."

"Mabel," He said, partially amazed by his sister's words. She wasn't finished yet.

"And, I," She sighed, gripping her brother's hands, "I'm kinda scared, Dip. This summer has changed the both of us so much. We're growing up faster than we thought and so many things have been accountable for that. So I'm… I'm sorry, for being selfish, and trying to hold onto what little time we had."

Dipper wiped his eyes with his sleeve, grinning tearfully at his twin. He pulled her into a hug. "If you're the one whose been selfish, than I've been a jerk. I let this whole Ford versus Stan drama get to my head and distract me from what was important. I should've been there with you, yesterday, handing out the fliers for our birthday party. I shouldn't have said those nasty things. I shouldn't have… blamed you for everything that was going wrong with me." He grumbled, meeting her eyes. "That was unfair. And so uncalled for. I… I agree that we have grown up this summer, but instead of growing up together, we settled our concerns in the wrong way, and it only hurt the both of us. I'm sorry, Mabel."

"Apology accepted." They said at the same time, staring at each other. Then, slowly, a smile spread on both of their faces. They each let out a sigh of relief and Mabel giggled, wiping her eyes.

"Going forward, we grow up together, got it?" She assured, bumping fists with him.

"Got it, sis." He nodded, feeling the anchor lift from his chest. They gave each other one more hug before they broke apart, and looked at their surroundings. Mabel's mood turned sour when she realized the secret mission they were on.

She let out a defeated sigh, and turned to her brother. "Dipper, I…" She frowned, her lip trembling. "I know I shouldn't say this, but I feel guilty. Even though Pacifica was cruel to us, she didn't deserve to die. If I hadn't… if I hadn't abused her, she would still be alive right now. I had hoped that by the end of the summer she would be a better person. We were getting close to reaching the real her, weren't we, Dipper? And now…"

"Mabel," Dipper gasped, grabbing his sisters' shoulders. His arms were shaking. "This is not your fault. It isn't anyone's fault. Pacifica made the decision on her own to jump… it was just under a terrible circumstance that she went through with it. I feel that way too, sis, but the only thing we can do right now remember that she's in a better place. Her parents pushed her to the edge… she would've had a difficult time if she was still living. She would've been… broken," he sighed and shook his head, "I just wish I had realized how much the fraud deed had affected her family, and gotten her out of there. I had no idea how cruel Mr. and Mrs. Northwest could really be."

"It wasn't our place, Dipper," She shrugged, patting his shoulder. She took in a deep breath and pointed down the hallway. "We can talk about this later. Let's stop taking a trip down memory lane and focus on the task at hand, okay?"

"Alright," He nodded, pushing away the dark thoughts. He glanced to his right, noticing the boarded up, bright pink door. "We might as well look in her room first."

Mabel gulped, "I feel like we're invading her privacy, dude. Besides, don't you see the caution tape?"

Dipper gave her a look, "From knowing you, a girl keeps all her dark secrets in her room. This is our only options. We checked the other rooms up here already, even the parent's, and found nothing." She didn't reply to that and just motioned so her brother could open the door.

Dipper was the first to step in over the tape, tumbling inside. He held up his hands, momentarily blinded by the pink hue that filled the room. Mabel followed second, gasping in awe at all of the expensive furniture. The room was set up as if Pacifica had just left to hang out with friends; there were clothes all over the floor, a pile of magazines on her bed, her desk lamp flickering on, and her on suite bathroom door ajar with a towel hanging on its knob. Everything was pretty, pink, and gold. It was everything Mabel could ask for in a room.

"Whoa," The Pine Twins breathed out, momentarily blinded by amazement.

"Okay, you check her closet and desk, I'll check the bathroom."

She grinned cheekily at him, "You just wanna be in her sauna, don't you?" She blew a raspberry at him, "How uncouth, Dipper!" He flushed red and pushed her, stalking off to the bathroom. Mabel was giggling as she made her way to the walk-in closet that was basically the size of their bedroom in the Shack.

Her mouth gaped open as she took one look at the designer clothes. "I feel poor just by being in here." She admitted to herself and sighed, checking through the dresses. She looked in the boxes on the floor, which mostly held shoes, toiletries, and purses. Nothing of evidence to note.

She quietly stepped out after doing another half hour of searching, and moved onward to Pacifica's desk. Her eyes widened at her huge PC, with a pink cover plastered over it. It was surprisingly in good condition, not even a scratch. Beside it, was a broken phone, and the most recent tablet; Mabel let out a low, impressed whistle. She eagerly dived into the drawers in her desk and shifted through, finding nothing but school supplies and, surprisingly, books. They were all tattered and warn, some of them with a library label on them. Pacifica didn't look like the kind of girl who enjoyed reading, but she's been in town long enough to know when people had secrets. They ranged from historical accounts to young adult fiction, and some authors that Mabel didn't even recognize. Underneath the pile of literature, Mabel struck gold. She found a large, burnt art book that was the size of a canvas. Beside it, was a diary that was also torn by the edges, and severely water damaged.

The young Pine twin carefully pulled both precious things out, her hands shaking in anticipation. Judging by the damage the art book and diary were in, these were unfortunately passions that Mr. Northwest and Mrs. Northwest despised in their daughter. They had wanted to mold their daughter into a being that mirrored them, and anything that stood out was ostracized. So, in order for a chance to escape, Pacifica had done her hobbies in secret.

Mabel wiped her eyes with her hand, "Broseph, you're not going to believe what I found." She called out. When he didn't answer her, she got up and walked towards the bathroom. "Bro…?" She began, and froze. Before her stood Dipper, his eyes wide in horror and his body shaking. On the floor, near the second set of counters, a pile of blonde hair had fallen in a heap. Laying on the counter was a pair of scissors, and a sharp knife, that held dry blood at its tip. There was a broken plastic bag in Dipper's hands.

"I… I… Mabel," He choked, turning to her, "I was just… I was just searching for clues, and… I swear I wasn't intending to—" He collapsed on the floor, tears streaming down his face.

"Oh God, Dipper." Mabel whimpered, going over to him. She hugged him close, sending a distress call to her family. The two didn't break apart from each other when they came to get them. Stan and Ford talked in hushed voices about the situation, while Soos called the Sherriff and announced they found reasonable evidence. Mabel refused to leave his side on the way home, clutching the diary and the art book in her hand, sending a silent prayer that one day, justice will be served for Pacifica's death, and the town of Gravity Falls will somehow find peace during these tough times.


	8. Chapter Eight: Tyger, Burning Bright

**Nikki's Note: Eep! Sorry for the delay, I had serious trouble writing this these past two weeks. :C Every time I thought I had something good, it wasn't...urgh. Everything had to be perfect and flow beautifully, because this is now technically where the story begins. I just felt like I had to update for you guys to keep up with my schedule. Welp, now that I really like how this chapter turned out, here's the official chapter that follows right after chapter 2! Thanks for hanging in there, everyone!**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Eight: "Tyger, Tyger, Burning Bright"**_

It was past closing time at _Joe's Pancake House_ , but the long term owner still kept it open. There young employees had since gone home, mildly upset that they had school the next morning. Joe quietly cleaned up the countertops and glass window containers as he watched the two woman who stayed in his diner.

His daughter, Mystery, was sitting at the booth, her eyes trained and focused on the newcomer. Her posture was rigid, a pondering look on her face as she drummed her fingers on her ripped jeans. He had never seen the young woman so determined before, and it made him smile. He knew only vaguely about her past, snippets of it that had slowly came back was revealed over time. He knew enough that she was regretful of her wrongdoings, whatever they were, and she was now more than ready to make things right. It wasn't his position to demand his beloved daughter for answers she herself wasn't ready to share.

The other woman, who went by the name of Mabel Pine, was in a much different state of mind. The poor thing was worn out from the day's trials that she collapsed in a power nap after she talked with Kelsey. It was funny; normally people who drink coffee are more buzzed than ever, but Mabel was clearly excluded from that common knowledge. She's more of an enigma than Mystery ever will be, and that's saying something.

Joe chuckled at her, grabbing the twenty-one-year old's attention, "You've been staring at her for a good half hour, kid. Everything okay?"

"I think so." She mumbled in kind, shrugging. "I… I knew this would happen sooner or later. I just didn't expect my past to pay a visit sooner."

He nodded, "No matter how long you run from the past, it'll somehow always come back to ya in the future. That's how life is, unfortunately. I'm not saying karma just bit you in the ass, but this had to be inevitable, right?"

Mystery sighed, putting her hands to her face, "I was such a bitch, back then. I'm grateful she's… she's given me a second chance. I didn't know how much I needed to hear that until now."

He patted her shoulder, "Sometimes, it's the little progress that counts. So, what are you going to do now?"

She chuckled, dragging a hand through her blue highlights. "That's a good question," She muttered, getting up from her seat. "Joe," She paused, turning to face him, "This is the grandniece of your deceased rival. Aren't you the least bit pissed that you have a 'scammer', as you call them, in your diner?"

He blinked at her. Glancing over at Mabel for a few moments, he let out a sigh, and placed down his cleaning rag. "I shouldn't judge someone just by who they're related to. I know I love the saying, 'the apple doesn't fall far from the tree', but in this case, Mabel has a future ahead of her. From the looks of it, she's a sweet girl, and together with her brother they make a great team. I suppose I should promise not to bash on Stanley when his grandniece is in the room. It's not… it would be completely unfair. Besides," He winked, casting at knowing look the aspiring artist, "She's a good match for you."

"J-Joe!" Mystery sputtered, turning a bright red. "C'mon, that was out of line. You have no way of assuming…" She trailed off, slumping her shoulders. Her face continued to give her away. "You still love me the same, don't you? You won't be…"

Joe glared at her and pointed a finger, "I've never been a homophobic bastard, Mystery, and I sure as hell am not going to start today. You're my daughter, and whoever you chose to settle down with—male, female, black, white, Transgender, whatever—that won't change my opinion of **you as a person**. In your youth, honey, I caught on to how unsure you felt about your sexuality. My only regret is that I wish I had confronted you about this sooner, after those many failed dates with boys and even Mike. I love ya, kid, no matter you love, I'll keep on lovin' ya, always remember that, okay?"

Mystery beamed, a wide grin on her face as she wiped her eyes, "I love you too, Joe." She replied, taking a deep breath. "Mabel needs someone right now. I'm going to find out what happened to her, and I'm going to be the person who comforts her. And I'm sure as Hell going to make amends with her the right way."

"That's my girl." Joe chuckled, smiling proudly at his daughter. "Go get 'em, tiger."

She nodded and took a deep breath, sliding off the bar stool. Time seemed to slow as Einstein's Circle Theory came into effect full force. She could feel a sort of hand push her forward, encouraging her to go on. She placed a hand on her chest to calm her beating heart, while the other lightly pressed onto the table. She knocked on the wood gently to wake up the snoring woman.

"Huh? Wha—Dipper, I didn't forget to—oh," Mabel blushed, rubbing her eyes, "Sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep on you. How long was I out for?"

Mystery smiled, giggling at her, "Only an hour or two. It's eleven o' clock now. You just looked so comfortable, so we decided not to bother you."

Mabel gave her a genuine smile, sitting upright, "Thank you, really Paz."

The artist blinked, at the pet name, "Paz?"

"Well, since, it'll take a while for me to get used to your new identity, and I've always wanted to give you a nickname when we were younger. How do you feel about me calling you that? I'll stop calling you it until you give me your full story."

Mystery raised a hand to her chin, considering. "As long as you fill me in on what happened to you since I… left."

"It's a promise," She breathed, looking directly into Mystery's eyes. They stared at each other for a moment, both unsure what to say, but at the same time admiring the other person. They were suddenly lost in their own bubble of space, nothing else in the outside world mattered. A deep blush had begun to spread on Mabel's cheeks as Joe laughed at them, causing the two to break eye contact.

"Listen kids, I'm glad you two love this place, but I really need to close up shop and go home. I've got a date with a cup of ramen noodles." He chuckled at Mystery, who gave him what only could be described as a death stare.

"You're the owner of a diner and yet you have processed food in your house?" It was Mabel who spoke up now, turning her attention away from her childhood rival.

He shrugged, "It's good to have different tastes. Don't judge me, woman," He waved his washcloth at them, "Now shoo before I come after you with my spatula."

Mystery finally laughed and extended a hand to Mabel, "You don't mind sleeping in my apartment tonight, do you? I mean, I can get you a room at a Motel but—"

She smiled, "Don't worry about it, girl. I was actually a little nervous to ask that since I didn't really know how you'd react… but, thanks. I appreciate it. I promise I won't overstay my welcome."

"Please, I'd be offended if you didn't. It's, it's the least I could do." She assured, as the two women walked out of the diner. She passed a thankful smile towards her dad before leaving, to which he returned a wink and a thumb up.

They walked in silence in the summer night as the cicadas buzzed around them.

"So," Mabel began with a yawn, smiling at Mystery. "Springfield, huh? I like it. It's small and cute."

She chuckled with her, "It looks better in the daytime. Especially my mural."

"You paint?" Mabel asked excitedly, causing the young woman to give her an odd look. She faltered at this, mumbling something incoherent.

"It's my passion in life now, what I truly live for. Painting is a way for me to escape reality if it gets hectic, and I'm grateful Joe is so supportive of my life's work." She smiled at the thought, remembering simpler times.

"You speak so highly of him, it's awesome," Mabel mused, skipping alongside her. "Like how Dipper and I were with Grunkle Stan."

Mystery nodded, "He adopted me when I first showed up here. Patched me up, took me in, and I never looked back."

Mabel nodded even though her companion couldn't see her clearly in the dark. She felt a sense of calmness rush over her, the adrenalin from the days' events dying down to a dull numbness of energy. Her morning certainly had started out much, much worse, but she was grateful she was in a better place than before.

"You know, Mystery, for what it's worth," She began, turning around to face the woman, "I'm grateful you were given a second chance here. I believe in the motto that everything happens for a reason, and perhaps a higher deity knew that you deserved that. I," she paused, tears glistening in her eyes, "My life may be in the shit right now, but all I care about is that I was somehow brought back to you, after all these years. That has to mean something at least. I mean, damn, we thought you were dead!" She sobbed, her voice thick with emotion. "I'm trying to wrap my head around the fact that you're here! Th-that you're okay, and alive, and accomplishing so many things…"

Tears had begun to glisten in Mystery's eyes as well, and she giggled. She wrapped her arms around Mabel and held her close, momentarily surprised by her speech. She let Mabel cry it out, tears that she had been holding in all day. She knew that they had many things to talk about, to get over many bridges, and they were already off to a great start.

"I'm happy too, Mabel," She sighed, placing her hand on Mabel's cheek, "I've never been so happy in my life." The two girls chatted about anything that came to mind as they continued walking, getting closer to Mystery's flat.

Mabel took in the building, stars shimmering in her eyes with excitement. She was mostly excited by Mystery's mural. "Whoa, you weren't kidding when you said you could paint!" She gasped, gripping onto her shoulder.

She laughed, "I always loved to paint, Mabes. I just wasn't able to express myself freely until afterwards." She shrugged, "And, apologies in advance for the state of my apartment. It's not much by normal standards."

"Paz," Mabel sighed, "Don't sell yourself short. I'm telling you, you could be an illustrator for a children's book with that talent!"

Mystery said nothing as the two walked into the front door of the ballet studio, and she turned on the light. She recklessly threw her purse on the lamp table and motioned to her art easels, "Try not to bump into anything, okay? If you touch just one thing it creates a domino effect."

Mabel was stunned into shock, admiring the architecture. It was simple, yet complex and elegant, easy for the eye to enjoy itself looking at. There were art projects from many of the kids in Springfield hung on the walls, and from the ceiling, origami figures dancing by a red string. It was the kind of place where one would never get tired of being here, as there was such good vibes emanating from every corner of the room.

"So how many hours a week do you have classes?" She asked, poking at a clay replica of their current president.

"Monday through Thursday, every day from 3:00pm to 6:00pm. Saturdays is a freebee, the kiddos don't have to come in but if they want to finish a project they're more than welcome to hang out. I keep this place open from 10:00am to 1:00pm." She answered with a shrug, "During the day, I work part time at Joe's so it's not like I have nothing better to do."

"And the kids enjoy learning from you?" She asked, a twinkle in her eye. This was so cute.

"Oh yeah! It's a great way for them to let out their frustrations after a horrible day at school. That's why I decided to have it in the afternoon rather than the morning. And if they aren't in the mood to work on anything, they're more than welcome to finish that." Mystery answered, nodding towards a very colorful painted door. "This is the entrance to my apartment."

Mabel found herself in a small corridor, leading out to an even bigger room. In the center, was a large living room, with two couches, a TV, a bookshelf, and a home office. Besides it was a kitchen, bathroom, and a set of stairs that lead to the top floor. Mystery wasn't kidding when she claimed that her home was a mess, cluttered with memorabilia. The walls were a bright pastel, contrasting with her grim personality. It, in a way, reminded her of her humble beginnings at Grunkle Stan's Mystery Shack—now referred to as The Mystery Log Cabin.

"Upstairs is my bedroom, a guest room, and two more bathrooms," She motioned towards her home, "This used to be a ballet studio once, with upstairs being the changing room and practice area. Since it became abandoned, and I had started working on my mural, I decided to buy it from the town to officially claim it as mine. Once I turned eighteen and graduated from high school, I was able to save up enough money to live here permanently."

"I love it, Paz," She claimed earnestly, "It's so amazing how you started from the bottom and now you have made a living out of it. You're just full of surprises, aren't you?"

Mystery blushed and waved her off, "You flatterer. Thank you, Mabel. That means so much to me. Let's go upstairs and get you settled for the night. You look to be about my size in pajamas."

"Anything is fine." Mabel assured, and the two girls made their way throughout the house. She had yawned once, letting Mystery know just how tired she was.

Mabel practically flopped onto Mystery's king size TempurPedic bed, stretching out her arms like a starfish. She yawned again, louder this time, causing her companion to laugh. "Someone is going to sleep like a baby tonight," She giggled, shifting through her drawer. "At least I won't have to worry about keeping you up with my insomnia."

At this, Mabel gave her a sad glance, "You've developed insomnia?"

Mystery shrugged noncommittally, "Ever since I came here I've had awful nightmares. I often paint to distract myself from them, and that leads to me staying up at odd hours. I think I've always had it, but I didn't know what the problem was back then. I just really don't like the idea of closing my eyes." She shook her head as she pulled out an onesie, preventing what Mabel was going to say next. "This might fit."

"Ooh, Cookie Monster! My favorite! Om nom, nom." Mabel exclaimed, throwing the fuzzy blue nightgown over her shoulder. Mystery laughed at her, getting up from her spot by the drawer.

"The bathroom is down the hall to your left!" She called out, to which Mabel assured her that she understood.

At this, a warm feeling bubbled within Mystery's chest, causing her to blush uncontrollably. Having Mabel around her after all these years caused her heart to melt in to mush. She was like a breath of fresh air, of new beginnings, and Mystery was more than ready to take on this new challenge. One would think that having their old enemy in their home would stir up unwanted trouble, but for Mystery, she had never felt more alive. She adored Mabel, always have, and she was more than ready to move on from her past with her help.

"Hey! What do you think?" Mabel announced, peeking into her bedroom. She danced around a bit in her fuzzy onesie, making weird faces and chewing noises, her previous terrible day long since forgotten. Mystery could only smile at this, her blush deepening and her heart pounding loud in her ears. _She looks so freaking cute right now,_ she thought with a dreamy sigh, knowing that she was inevitably, and irrevocably, doomed.

* * *

A young man paced impatiently in his living room, his hands nervously gripping his phone and a bead of sweat pouring down his brow. Dipper Pines hasn't heard from his sister in four hours. That's the longest they've ever gone without speaking with each other, especially since this is a dire emergency.

He let out a groan and paused, gripped his hair, and continued to pace again. He's been like this since their last phone call, which he had admitted, not his brightest moment.

It was almost one o' clock now, the workday long since over, but there were only a few employees who worked in the Mystery Cabin who decided to stay up. Dipper, for one, refused to rest until he got a call from his sister.

"Ahh! Where the fuck is she?!" He roared, pulling at his hair, "She should've called by now!"

"Babe! Language!" Wendy Corduroy, his girlfriend of five years, scolded. She came into the room with her hair wet and wearing a green bathrobe. She had a small, worried frown on her face as she examined her boyfriend. He looked worse for wear that was for sure. Whenever Mabel got herself into some sort of trouble, he worried himself into a terrible stomach ache. He cared so much for his sister, and knowing that she could be out there somewhere, with that bastard after her.

Dipper's shoulders at this point were shaking, a silent sob escaping his lips. Wendy shook her head and wrapped her arms around his waist, comforting the twenty-one-year old. "Dude, she'll be okay, I promise." She murmured, cuddling up with him.

"But what if _she's not_?" He gasped out, turning around to face her.

"But what if **she is**?" She replied, cupping her boyfriend's cheeks. "Mabel's a big girl Dippy, she knows how to take care of herself. She's probably found herself a room in some Motel and sleeping the night away. In the morning, she'll call you, and come back home."

"I can't believe I… we just let him walk all over us like that. I can't believe we never realized not once that he was a manipulative, cheating bastard." He growled, hiding his face in her hair, "If I had saw the signs… if only I had warned her, we wouldn't be in this mess." He sighed as he held Wendy closer to him, "Wendy-bird, I'm supposed to be a genius. I should've known better!"

"Stop beating yourself up for it, Dipper, we all make mistakes," she assured, "And Mabel wouldn't want you to worry all night. She'd much rather come home without you ready to explode."

He blushed at that, an embarrassed look on his face, "I never tend to solve arguments with her that way, do I, Wendy-bird?"

She giggled at him and poked his nose, "Nope. But you're learning, and that's what counts." She checked his phone for him, saw that no messages had arrived, and motioned towards the stairs. "Come on, let's get you to bed so you could have at least seven hours of sleep for tomorrow. You have to be bright-eyed and bushy tailed for the customers, Mr. Manager." She winked, a small blush tinting her cheeks.

"Same goes for you too, Ms. Secretary." He rolled his eyes, "And my tail isn't bushy until nine."

"That's not my problem," She hummed, pecking him on the lips, but he surprised her by moving her into a dip-kiss, and he picked her up.

Throughout his teenage years Dipper had grown unmistakably handsome. Girls from his high school and some younger were always fawning over him, even though he never realized it. He was oblivious to the stares, the gossip, because he only focused on two things he loved the most: solving mysteries, and Wendy Corduroy. He dated some of the girls to get his mind off of the older woman, but they never distracted him.

Meanwhile, Wendy was struggling with her own feelings for the growing teen, when she realized just how mature and attractive he was turning out to be. Puberty had done him a good favor, and she found herself knee-deep in the torturous perils of falling in love with her best friend. For the longest time, that's what he was to her, a best friend and a younger brother. She hated this feeling, and for a while, the two would get each other riled up about boyfriends, girlfriends, and other pointless things, because she couldn't handle how passionate she felt for him.

On the twins' sweet sixteen one fateful summer, she had denied to come due to the fact that she couldn't handle looking at him. She was nineteen at the time, almost an adult, and convinced herself that there was no hope for them. She was better off focusing on her college degree, work, and taking care of her family. Thankfully for her, Mabel the Matchmaker stuck her Cupid's Arrow at the troubled couple. She'd had enough of listening to the both of them, and decided to take matters into her own hands (which doesn't normally work most times, but that time it did!), creating the best birthday of their lives. If it weren't for Mabel, Wendy would've been in deeper trouble than she liked.

"How did I get so lucky?" Wendy giggled, wrapping her arms around Dipper's neck. He smiled down at her, nothing but love shown in his eyes.

"I should be the one asking that question, baby," He took a deep breath and yawned, pointing to the stairs. "But for now, you're right, let's go to bed."

"Take me on an adventure, Peter Pan!" She swooned, giggling at him. "I want to meet the lost boys again."

"Alright then, away to Never Land we go! Second star to the right…"

"…and straight on till morning." She finished, curling up by his chest. Dipper Pines was a wonderful man, and so good to her. She was often kicking herself for waiting so long to claim him, and wished she had saved herself the heartbreak if she didn't wait. Their love story was certainly one for the books, and if Grunkle Stan were still alive, he would be laughing his arse off, but not before giving Dipper a pat on the back and a proud smile to the young man. Wendy knew how close Dipper was with his Grand-Uncle, and her only regret was that she never got to thank the con-man for being such a good role model. She may have argued many times with him, but she did care for him, and hoped that one day, The Mystery Cabin would be restored to its former glory for Dipper's sake. She could only hope.


	9. Chapter Nine: Of Crepes and Coffee

**Nikki's Note: Hah! You guys thought I've given up on this story, didja? Nope xD I have tons of things planned for these characters, and new folks who haven't even been introduced to the story yet! I had to take a break so I could plan and prepare, and focus on school a bit more, since college was starting to become hectic. But, if I continue on this pattern, every other Friday you guys will get an upload, so be patient :3 This is my main story for 2016, and I'm just getting into writing it! I just wanted to upload Opposing Codes to start it so I can continue it later on. Thank you all for the continued love and support, your comments make my day! Without further ado, lets continue on with the story! Hope you all like the filler chapter I'm about to bomb you with!**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Nine: Of Crepes and Coffee**_

It wasn't like anything she had seen before.

It was terrifying.

The home she had once known, damaged, torn, uprooted in a matter of days. Everything was in a state of unforeseen terror.

Her sanctuary was no more. Its buildings were damaged, the parks were out of commission, and worst of all, the diner, what had been a safe haven, was nothing but a pile of bricks.

The woman fell to her knees, in a state of horror. The sky was blood red as a gaping hole destroyed all gravity imaginable. Everything seemed to be in a pile of unrest, turned over on its side, uncoordinated. Just what could have done this damage so great?

Then, she found herself standing in front of her studio. It too, as damaged, as well as her mural that she worked so tirelessly on. There were strange blotches of blood left on the walls that held up, handprints of fallen victims no doubt. It made her sick, and she had collapsed right then, vomiting.

She felt her chest tighten as somehow she was moving towards the diner, where she was brought back to, unsure of her future. Only moments before her day was wonderful, everything was fine, and now the end of the world was near.

In a matter of seconds, she was in the diner. Like the rest of her home, it was as if a hurricane came through. Pots and pans were thrown aimlessly, broken beyond repair. Her beloved counter was collapsed, the marble that had held together for many years finally in shambles. The worst of it all was when she saw her father, that wonderful man, lying limp on the cold wooden floor.

She let out a deranged wail as she pushed herself towards him, collapsing by his side. She screamed out his name, but he made no effort to answer. She looked over his disheveled body, his hair and face, and noticed that everything was just so strange. He looked as if he had been pulled through the wringer again and again until there was only a string of sanity left. She wondered who could have done something like this to her savior, and vowed to give him the same fate.

Her hands were still gripped firmly onto his arm when the ground shook once more, and blood began to gush rapidly from her father's mouth. She largely flinched back, but stayed put, unable to leave him.

"No more of this, no more of this," She mumbled insanely to herself, as the blood covered her hands and lap. "No more of this!"

Somehow, her wish was granted, but she found herself in a much, much worse situation. She was staring at herself in a one-way mirror, but it wasn't the image she was used to now. The girl she was staring at was from a different life, a past life; blond haired, blue eyed, perfect form—perfect family. Her hands, although, were definitely not her own. They wouldn't have the blood of another's on them.

This was worse than death.

She crumpled to the floor of the damaged world, letting out a silent scream. Somewhere, deep within her conscious, a deafening demented laugh could be heard.

"Paz!"

"Mystery, whoa, wake up girl!"

The young woman woke up with a start, her chest hurting. Her entire body was shaking as she tried to process exactly where she was and who she was with. Angry tears sparkled in her eyes as she gripped her bed sheets, unaware that Mabel Pine was hugging her.

She took several deep breaths, but those didn't help seeing how her terrible nightmare kept on flashing in her mind's eye.

Mabel was quiet then, looking at her with concerned eyes and a worried frown. Mystery squirmed underneath her sheets, slipping out of Mabel's grasp. She left the stunned woman on her bed as she searched for something in her drawer, a trail of her bunny slippers left behind.

Mystery pulled out a bottle of pills from her vanity and taking a sip from her tea, chugged it down. She panted heavily for a few moments after that, blinking her eyes in a failed attempt to calm her racing thoughts. She glanced up in the mirror, once her heart stopped beating twenty miles a minute. Mabel had gotten up from where she sat and cautiously walked towards her.

She let out a sigh of guilt, "I'm sorry if I startled you."

Mabel blinked, briefly confused before she laughed. "You're apologizing? Dude, you're the one who just peed herself! I'm more worried about you!"

"Are you serious?" Mystery said in horror, checking her pajama bottoms. She was relieved to see that there was in fact no pee stain evident. She glanced over at Mabel with a smile. "You dork." She muttered with a chuckle, pushing her slightly. This girl… really made her feel weird things. Her stomach fluttered, but not in a nauseous way.

"Yea, but it got you to smile didn't it?" She smirked, winking. Mystery blushed. Pause. "It must've been a pretty scary dream for you to cry out like that, though."

"It's nothing new," Mystery said with a huff, "I'm not giving you an explanation until you give me yours."

It was Mabel's turn to be guarded, "What's there to talk about?"

"Um, a lot of things, actually." She glared, "Like, how in the hell does your childhood enemy end up in your town, bruised, damaged beyond repair, with no explanation, and seemingly on the run from a dangerous gang leader or possessive ex-boyfriend? That's not you, Mabel. Even though I have no right to be asking any of this, but you made it my business when you stepped into that diner."

"You don't know me," Mabel argued, "We haven't seen each other in ten years! Obviously, both of us changed dramatically, we're not the same when we were children!"

"That's exactly my point," She said with an aggravated groan, "Don't lie to me, hoe. I know when people are lying and I hate it. Just tell me the truth and it'll make things easier for us."

Mabel folded her arms, "Well with that attitude, I'm not telling you anything. Why would you want to know, huh? So you can blab about it to your newfound family?"

Mystery took a daring step forward, "What happens between you and me stays between you and me. I can promise you that."

"You're willing to keep that trust?" She said just above a whisper, her eyes wide and fearful.

Her heart was doing summersaults. Mystery was more focused on Mabel's beautiful eyes, her face, and her plump lips. She couldn't think up an answer properly because of how wonderful Mabel was in the morning, a ray of sunshine that was well needed. Finding the courage, she closes her eyes and presses her lips against hers. It was soft, curious, like they were both treading water. The two women were too nervous to take anything further, but for now, this was the farthest they were willing to go. It was enough for Mystery.

"Does that give you an answer?"

Mabel nodded, her eyes wide and confused. She didn't voice any reason that she didn't approve of the bold case of affection, but she knew that it sealed their deal. She found herself surprisingly wishing they could continue where they left off.

They might have, too, if it weren't for an uninvited guest popping through the front door. Way to kill the moment.

"GOOD MORNING MY FAVORITE BEST FRIEND!" An obnoxiously loud voice called, making himself comfortable in her flat. Mystery rolled her eyes and laughed, taking Mabel's hand.

"C'mon. There's someone I want you to meet." She announced, making the girl smile. Mabel met eyes with a young man who was dressed in a casual marvel t-shirt, with ripped jeans and combed black hair. He wore glasses and sneakers, a tablet held in his dominant left hand.

He was smiling up until the girls walked in, and he folded his arms, "Mystery, babe, don't tell me you had a sleepover and didn't invite me. We could've watched Doctor Who together and bonded over how sexy David Tennent is."

"We do that every Friday, Mike," She smiled, patting his head. "Besides, her visit was completely out of the blue. I wasn't expecting an old childhood friend to come see me." She motioned to Mabel, "Mike, meet Mabel Pine. Mabel, meet my best friend Mike."

"A pleasure," The Japanese man grinned, taking her hand and shaking it. "Wait a second."

"Here it comes," Mabel giggled, used to the constant recognition.

"Dude, you're _the_ Mabel Pines! O man, I love you and your brother's work. You two are legendary mystery hunters," he began to dance in his place, "I have like, hardcover copies of all three journals and currently writing a fourth. Like, okay, imagine this. Doppelgangers. Almost like the Shapeshifter, but they exist simply because a mix of genetics and poor life choices. They are us from different dimensions."

Mabel grinned, excited by his raw, genuine enthusiasm. "Well, we have no evidence to deny that they don't exist. After all, how do people know about these things if it hasn't been proven? Someone must've had to saw them. For example, my bro and I calculated evidence pointing that I had a doppelganger at one point, named Lebam. I haven't seen her yet, but I know she's out there."

"Right, right," He mused, typing onto his tablet.

"Okay, what about Quantum Theory? Like, if something happens in one part of the universe another event happens in another dimension, but at the same exact time—"

Mystery rolled her eyes and grabbed Mike by the ear, "Bro, don't overwhelm my guest. We want to keep her, not scare her off. Why are you here anyways?"

"Oh! Right, uh, our traditional coffee and crepes to start off the weekend?" He asked shyly, causing Mystery to snicker.

"I haven't forgotten. Mabel, you don't mind tagging along, do you? I'd hate to leave you here alone. This way we can give you a tour of Springfield."

Mabel smiled, finding Mike's enthusiasm contagious. "Sure. I've got nothing better to do. I can't pass up a tour lead by the greatest people on earth."

"You flatter me." He gushed, dramatically waving her off. "But you're right, we are so fetch."

"Ignore him, he's too gay to function." Mystery rolled her eyes, pushing Mabel away.

"Mystery! You can't just say that out loud on the daily!" He groused, making himself comfortable on her couch. Mabel laughed, peeking around Mystery's shoulder.

"Don't worry, if it's my brother you're after, I totally ship it!"

"Yes." Mike whisper-cheered, pumping his fist.

After an hour later of getting ready and Mabel borrowing an outfit of Mystery's, which surprisingly consisted of pink, the trio made their way out of her flat and into the streets of Springfield. Of course, since her ballet studio was a way off from the town, they had to walk through a bit of a forest before getting to the main entrance. Mystery didn't need a car of her own, seeing how everything she needed was close by, but she often teased Mike about getting a car because he worked a few towns over. Both of them had passed their drivers exam at the age of eighteen.

"You know how my mom is about transportation," He grumbled, "and until I get my paycheck, I'm stuck riding my bike that dad got me in high school."

"At least it works, dude." Mystery shrugged, eyeing Mabel. She passed her a confident smile and giggled.

"What do you do for a living?" Mabel wondered, falling into step with the other two.

"Me? Right now, I'm an intern for a start-up company. We talk about all of the latest TV shows and games that are coming out and trending memes, making the public aware about things that should be brought to attention. It's decent pay and I enjoy what I do, so there ya go." He explained, grinning. "Kinda like how you guys are at the Mystery Log Cabin."

"How did you know about the name change?" She asked with genuine curiosity.

He blushed, scratching his chin. "I kind of had to because we did a segment on top anomalies in Oregon. Your bed and breakfast was the top result. Of course, I already know a lot of things about you guys, but my boss still wanted hardcore research."

"Stalker." Mystery teased, poking him.

"Shut up." He muttered in kind.

The three friends chatted about their current achievements, Mike being the most talkative. Mabel observed that in their relationship, it was bound on hand movements and a deep knowledge for the other's reaction. Mystery sometimes didn't even have to speak and she knew how to reprimand Mike, and the same goes for the other way around. Those two had a fantastic chemistry, it almost made Mabel a little jealous. She and her brother often had moments where they reacted the same way, but it wasn't nearly as deep or as raw as Mike and Mystery's. She made a mental note to ask Mystery, on top of the bazillion questions she already has in her mind.

Throughout their pleasant walk in Springfield, Mabel saw the large mountains and the ocean that seemed to begin just outside of town. It was much different from Gravity Falls, where that had a small livelihood, but surrounded by woods, while this had an open floor plan with less nature, but more community. There was a huge mountain in the center of Springfield, that was behind a peninsula, which the river supposedly went as far back towards the forest they first came out of. Back there, Mike told Mabel about the abandoned lighthouse and assured her they would venture there one time.

There were multiple shopping districts on every corner, mom and pop shops that gave off a welcome light. An elementary school could be seen in the distance, next to a police station, and a public works building. Traditional food chain restaurants were also noticed, but they weren't as popular as the ones who were there before. Every other spot also had a residential building, but Mike informed Mabel that people built their homes by the bay area.

Springfield reminded Mabel of the olden days as a child, living in her parents' home in Piedmont before her and her brother became permanent residents in Gravity Falls once they graduated from high school.

"Welp, here it is," Mike said with a grin, pointing to a Tudor style café with a coffee mug on its door. "The Coffee Express! Toot, toot!" He made the train noise with his hand, causing both Mystery and Mabel to groan. "What?! That was a good movie, dudettes!"

"Awh, this is such a cute place," Mabel gushed, admiring the shops aesthetic. The three friends walked into the tiny café, greeted by the smell of coffee beans and chocolate. She smiled when she spotted a familiar face behind the counter. "Hey! Kelsey, right?"

The blonde haired girl smiled and waved, "You guessed it. Good to see you again, Mabel!"

Mike chuckled at her, "Kelsey works at legit every store in Springfield. Don't be surprised if you see her everywhere we go. I swear, sometimes I think she has super powers."

The teenager grinned, pointing her finger. "You never know. I might have, dude. Same as always, Mystery?" She nodded in reply, motioning to her friends to find a seat. "So… how is she? How was last night?" Kelsey asked above a whisper, brewing coffee.

"Could've been better," Mystery answered truthfully, "I'm sorry, you shouldn't have been the one to see that. I don't know what's going on, but somethings up, Kels."

"Don't apologize," She assured, giving her a small smile, "This was an extreme circumstance. It's not every day a celebrity visits Springfield. By the way, how _do_ you know Mabel Pines?"

Mystery began to sweat, nervously wringing her hands together as she debated on telling the girl. Even though her memory slowly came back, and told Joe exactly when it happened, there were still some patches that she couldn't put a finger on. It wouldn't be fair to Kelsey if she began to tell her story even if she hardly knew herself. She opened her mouth to say something, when Mike's excited laugh burst through the coffee house. Mystery gave Kelsey an apologetic look before hurrying back to their table.

"Mystery, Mabel is super cool! Can we keep her, please? Please, please, please, please?" Mike said with a gasp, folding his hands together. She laughed at him.

"What did I miss?"

Mabel motioned to the fanboy, "Aw, we were just going over favorite mythical creatures. I was telling him my experiences with unicorns and goblins. Apparently, Mike claims that he's seen a few around here."

"People think I'm crazy, but there's been an outbreak of anomaly's around the coast of Oregon, beginning from Gravity Falls. It's only a coincidence that you just so happen to show up here. Are you on a secret mission?"

Mystery rolled her eyes and took a seat, listening to the conversation. "Well, my brother was talking about that a couple days ago. He's been planning to head down this way and leave me in charge of the cabin. You might be right, but we'll never know unless we search for them."

Mike's eyes sparkled with excitement, "Does Dipper usually travel alone or with a partner on these explorations?"

Mabel gave him an apologetic smile, "Usually alone, kid. Sorry. He says he gets things done faster that way."

Poor Mike couldn't be any more disappointed. Thankfully, their orders had come in by then delivered by Kelsey, and the three friends began to eat. Well, it was more like Mike and Mystery stared at Mabel until she took her first bite of her Nutella crepe with banana toppings. Her eyes bulged out of her head in surprise and her eyes sparkled with delight. She nodded her head rapidly and held her thumb up, causing Mystery and Mike to high five.

"Aw yeah! We gotta winner!" He cheered, munching on his own yummy breakfast.

Mystery smiled at him, and took the time to admire how happy Mabel was currently. She looked so at peace with herself, that even though no matter what may have hurt her in the past, she put that aside to enjoy this moment in time. It meant a lot to Mystery, since she had trouble dealing with that as well.

Mabel made a conscious effort to engage herself in the conversation, and even though the three friends were only hanging out for a few hours, they acted like they've known each other for years. The folks of Springfield who admire Mystery's work and are close with her, saw the young woman and went up to join in on the conversation. Police officers, mailmen, gardeners, and crossing guards all enjoyed being in her company, something that caused Mabel to smile. She admired how genuine the artist greeted her neighbors, how comfortable even Mike was with the exchange. He continued on talking with the girls, like nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

Mabel was about to order herself another cup of coffee, when she received a text from someone she really did _NOT_ want to think about.

 **Unknown Number:** _I have no idea where you are, or how you escaped, but just know that I WILL FIND YOU. And you will be mine. You will love me. I always get what I want, baby._

Her chest began to ache as the sheer impact those words had on her. Dark memories began to flash in her mind as her hands shook, and she suddenly felt the world become smaller while she shrunk deeper into herself. She blocked his number. She deleted any form of connected she had with him on social media. How on earth did he reach her? This was insane.

Mystery took notice of her friends' sudden quietness, her gaze filled with intensity. Mabel quietly mumbled that she needed air, and escaped the little coffee house. She hurried over to the back of the building, making sure that no one followed her. She collapsed near the garbage dump, hiding herself in her sweater, sobbing as the memories soon took over. She had tried to fight them, for so long, but just a simple text brought back so much.

Freddie Gleeful was a beautiful lie. He was perfect, cunning, and assertive, everything that Mabel looked for in a man. She met the nefarious businessman at a family party; she and Gideon had gotten closer after he changed his ways since Pacifica's death, and he introduced his first cousin to the teenager. He knew little of his cousin's true colors, his entire family blinded by his charm, and wit, much like Gideon fooled them when he was younger. He suspected nothing of his cousins' strange habits, and presented him as the perfect match for Mabel. She had recently gotten over a horrible break up with an older, college aged boyfriend.

Freddie Andrew Gleeful knew how to win over a woman. His body was flawless, as was his company, growing larger each year. When he wanted something, he stopped at nothing, and refused to let anything get in his way. Women dreamed of being the object to his affections, dreamed of being showered with expensive gifts, a new car, and anything she desired. Mabel never realized it, but she slowly became his next obsession, even though she hardly had any say in their relationship. It just happened. She felt lust for him, and in turn, he catered to her every whim. Overtime, she was won over, and the duo became inseparable. She fell in love with the idea of being in love.

Even Dipper was fooled by this handsome overachiever. He often bonded with Freddie over booze and foosball, and he considered the bachelor a good friend. Dipper wasn't one to make close friends often, and so when Freddie began acting possessive, he was blinded by the fact that he finally had a bro who would spend time with him. He put his sister second in most situations and family gatherings, which was something the young adult never imagined he would do.

The businessman just had this gravitational pull towards everyone. He sunk his claws in, never letting go, never once thinking about the consequences he may face. His supposed perfect record cleared up any wrongdoing he took part of, which caused friends and family to put him on a golden pedestal.

Mabel hated herself for getting so distracted by this man. She let herself become a former shell of what she once was, drowning herself into one sole being. She was manipulated by him, forced to obey his every rule. This wasn't like her at all, and she realized it too late. Now, she had to pay the price, and she sure as hell wasn't prepared for what the future held for her. She deserved whatever fate God would soon give her for what she did to her family. Four years. Four years she devoted her life to that bastard, and nothing good came from it.

"Mabel!" A voice cried out, snapping the young woman out of her thoughts. Thank goodness someone came before her thoughts took over. " _Mabel._ " Mystery said in shock, bending on her knee to look at her. The young woman's entire body were shaking, and she took notice of the cell phone, which was cracked beside her.

"Mabel, sweetie, what the fuck happened?" She uttered, wrapping her arms around her. "We were doing so well. You were so happy." Mabel didn't answer, she just continued to sob into Mystery's chest. She finally gathered the courage to pick up Mabel's phone, unlock it, and look at the text.

"God damn it," She swore, her eyes growing wide. Thankfully, Mike came around the corner, stopping short when he saw the two women together.

"Jeez, thank you so much for leaving me to pay the bill. Do you wanna know how much it turned out to—"

"Shut the fuck up, Michel," Mystery hissed, causing her best friend to wince. He worriedly looked at Mabel. "We have a problem. We need to get her back to my apartment without drawing so much attention."

0o0o0o

Minutes later, with help from Joe taking them through side streets and the forest, they made it back to her flat without being seen. Mike told him little of the situation, but the man still stayed, providing comfort for Mabel while Mystery typed furiously online. Mike hovered over her, asking questions a mile a minute, not receiving an answer.

Finally, Mystery seemed to have found success, and began to jam her thumb onto the cellphone.

" _Hi, this is the Mystery Log Cabin front desk, how may I help you?"_ A pleasant voice answered, though she sounded rough around the edges. Mystery knew that voice anywhere.

"I'd like to speak with Dipper Pines, please." She replied curtly, getting right to the point.

There was a pause before the woman spoke again. "I'm sorry, but he can't take any calls right now. He's in the middle of a tour. I can take a message?"

"I don't fucking care if he's fighting a three headed dragon. This is an emergency. I need to speak with him now. His sister's in a state of shock and we can't get through to her. Put him on the line or I won't hesitate to drive up there myself." She hissed, causing Mike to grin victoriously. Whenever Mystery gets like this, there's no way out. Joe chuckled behind them, feeling proud.

This time, the woman responded quickly, _"Holy shit, you found her? She's with you? Thank God, I'll get him right now. Please hang on a moment."_

Mystery grinned as elevator music played, and she walked over to sit next to Mabel. The young woman had a blank gaze on her face, staring at nothing, curled up on the couch. Mystery wrapped her arms around her, the two holding hands.

The music stopped, and Dipper's voice rang loud and clear throughout the phone. _"M-Mabel! Mabel, sis, is everything okay? Where are you?"_

"I was hoping you could answer that," Mystery sneered, causing the young man to gulp. He stammered, tripping over his words and nearly dropping the phone.

" _Whoa, okay, first, you need to tell me where you are and where you are located. How do I know that you are some random chick off the street who wants to date me because she found my sister?"_ The tension in the room was palpable.

Mystery laughed, amused by his answer, "First of all, I'm into vaginas. Secondly, who I am and where I am doesn't concern you. What concerns you is that you're going to tell me why your sister is unresponsive and how she ended up far away from Gravity Falls."

" _Woman, TMI,"_ He groaned, taking a deep breath. " _Let's just say that the information I'm about to tell you is something that could get me into deep shit."_

"Time's ticking. If you don't say anything I'm going to scream." Mystery threatened, her feet tapping anxiously on her hard wood floor.

" _J-just, please describe her right now. What does she look like? What kind of state is she in?"_ He asked, just above a whisper.

Mystery sighed, staring longingly at Mabel. "She's staring blankly at my coffee table. She's hunched over, not responding, not talking, her body shaking. It's scaring me. I have no idea what happened, but whoever sent that text shut her down completely."

Dipper sighed, and Mystery could almost see the frustrated tears that were no doubt pouring down his face. She waited patiently as he collected himself, finding the courage to re-tell the past for years of their lives. Joe and Mike, who were troopers throughout the whole conversation, sat beside her, ready to become the net that Mystery needed by the time the phone call was over.


	10. Chapter Ten: Fallen From Grace

**Nikki's Note: Phew. Got this done on time! I'm super excited to finally be working on the main plot; we had a lot of exposition to go through, but now its safe to say that the story has officially begun! How are people liking our newest character so far? ;)**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Ten: Fallen from Grace**_

The days leading up to Mabel's disappearance had been hard on Dipper. Night after night, the two siblings were arguing with each other about Freddie Andrew Gleeful. They wore each other out so much that by the time Mabel left, no doubt to find whatever string of comfort was left in her ex, that Dipper collapsed. He couldn't get up.

The young man had no motivation to work, eat, or sleep. The Mystery Log Cabin was on an emergency shut down. He blamed himself for loosing Mabel; weeks, he would hide in his home office, shutting out Soos and his fiancé Melody, and even Wendy.

It wasn't until Wendy had enough, and she stormed into the room, sobbing, begging the genius to come back. She yelled at him, screaming at him that it wasn't his fault Mabel left, and if he didn't change is attitude, she would, too. That was more than enough for Dipper to snap out of his living nightmare, and begin searching for Mabel. His sister left him on June 5th, and the last time she answered his call was weeks later, on the night of June 20th, when he found out that she was somehow on the West Coast of Oregon. Just how the heck did she get there?

The summer of 2021 had definitely not been kind to him so far, and it hasn't even started. To think, just ten years ago, he would be saving his sister from a race of goblins. He need to step up his game. Sadly, in order to do so, he needed his sister. And today was the first day of summer, June 21st, which meant, the _Mystery Log Cabin_ would be a mad house.

Dipper wiped a bead of sweat off his brow and he sighed, rolling over to face his beautiful girlfriend. She didn't seem to be faring so well in the heat either, as she pushed all of the covers onto his side. He smiled, and gently kissed her on the lips, pushing away a strand of hair from her face.

She woke up then, groaning from the heat, though smiling when she saw him. "Morning, babe." She said with a yawn. Dipper chuckled.

"Happy first day of summer, Wendy-bird." He said with a somber look on his face. Usually, the first day of summer was celebrated with gusto in the Pines family, and the party lasted well into the following morning. Though, due to Mabel's absence, the happiness will be short lived for Dipper, since he was just so used doing the celebrations with her.

Wendy gave him a sour look and turned over to pick up her iphone. "Looks like today's going to be a hot one, dude. We better bring out the snow cone machine."

At this, Dipper nodded in agreement, "And a sprinkler for the kids. You know the little ones never last all day."

"We'll have confetti, balloons…"

"Fun arcade games for the teens with cheap prizes…"

"And to finish off the night, a fireworks show! From the roof!" Wendy added, smiling at the days' events. When the twins first opened shop four years ago, when they were eighteen, the celebration was a little impromptu. However, the people of Gravity Falls still came to celebrate, even if it was a small crowd. As the years went by, word got out about the family tradition, and it had become a top tourist trap for outside vacationers. It suddenly became a town-wide event, and the people of Gravity Falls were more than happy to help the mystery duo. After all, in a way, they were all one big strange family.

"Today's going to be a great day." Dipper decided, feeling a tiny bit better.

The twenty-four-year-old woman smiled at her boyfriend, placing a kiss on his cheek. "It will be. I promise. No bad thoughts. We will find her, Dippy."

Dipper scoffed, turning red. "How did you know I was thinking about that?"

She gave him a look, "Babe. I love you, but have you forgotten how long we've known each other? We met when you were twelve and I was fifteen. You fell in love with me ever since we met and suffered until my thick skull finally realized it when I was nineteen and you were sixteen. It's been six years since we've actually became a serious couple and defied all laws of physics, blah blah blah. And you think I don't know you! I'm like a fucking mind reader, babe! Every time that you think you're being really discreet about not taking Soos' _Arcade Central_ magazines, you're not. I know that you read them religiously."

Dipper looked appalled by this accusation, but he knew he was being beaten. He let out a strained chuckle, "I put them back. I just find that it's pointless to buy a second copy since we both read it."

"Whatever, Dip. We both know you're looking for new ideas because you secretly want to take over the gaming industry with some super-cool RPG game that'll outsell even _Pokémon_." She winked, "Just don't forget your family back here in this humble abode while you sit on your throne of a billion dollars."

He let out a low whistle, "Damn, it's 6:30 am and we haven't even gotten out of bed yet. On that note we definitely need to start the day." He was about to get up when Wendy pulled on his arm, a sweet smile on her face.

"Hey, babe. I love you."

Dipper grinned, his heart fluttering. He's known this girl for over a decade and she still made him feel like a lovesick idiot sometimes. "I love you too."

The two lovers kept to their word and hurried out of bed, not wasting a second of the already hot summer morning. Living together for the first time had been awkward at best, but the pair slowly made up a routine that fit them. Wendy would pick out an outfit and gather her face creams to hide her acne, while Dipper took to the shower first. He learned the hard way that his girlfriend took ridiculously long shower on any day of the week, just like his sister did. It must be a girl thing, he realized, since Wendy didn't even rebuff his sassy remark.

He quickly put gel on in his hair once he finished, and glanced in the mirror. Mabel's disappearance not only worsened his attitude, but his hair growth too. If he wasn't careful, he would have a beard as magnificent as his Grunkle Stan. He decided to take the liberty and shave some of it off, leaving only a little scruff, mentally reminding himself to shave the rest later. Besides, though Wendy didn't admit it, it was a turn on for her.

Feeling refreshed, he put on a pair of cargo pants and The Mystery Log Cabin's tee shirt. He checked himself in the mirror once more before opening the door, only to get a rude reaction from Wendy.

"C'mon, dude, we talked about this. No more than ten minutes and then I get a turn." She muttered weakly, turning bright red. Dipper took a step back in surprise, unsure of what to say. The young woman looked pale as a ghost, with her hands shaking as she clutched her utilities. A bead of sweat began to pour down Dipper's brow as he caught onto the signs, and let her in without a word. The door slammed shut.

He waited outside just in case she needed him, and sure enough, she called out his name. "Uh… Dipper? C-can you, do me a favor babe?"

"Anything, Dee-Dee." He replied. She giggled at the nickname, but it was followed with a curse, and a groan.

"Do you mind asking Melody for a tampon? If she doesn't have it, can you run off for the Supermarket and get one for me? I wasn't expecting…"

"I'm on it. You don't even have to ask." He assured, used to these kind of last minuet emergencies. In a weird way, he was grateful for the distraction. It was better than worrying about when Mabel was going to call or if Freddie was going to pop up as an uninvited guest. He counted his lucky stars that this was able to make himself feel useful for the morning, before the clan opened up shop, and the day began.

0o0o0o0o

The festivities went off without a hitch, as did the accurate weather forecast. There were a huge crowd of children and families that had decided to join the fun in the morning and only stayed until mid-day. Sprinklers, a snow cone machine, and a bouncy house provided entertainment. The residents of Gravity Falls gravitated towards the renovated Mystery Log Cabin like moths to a flame; there was something for everyone to enjoy.

Happy cheers, laughter, and conversations masked the dark undertones of the owners who made sure everything ran smoothly. To an outsider, they would never suspect the horrible situation the Mystery clan found themselves in, but to a close memory of the family, they were often on high alert. Several times a resident would pull Dipper aside and ask where Mabel was, but he would only answer them with a halfhearted, disinterested shrug.

Wendy wasn't fairing too well either in her condition, seeing how she only lasted for half of the day before she vomited, and passed out from the heat. Begrudgingly, she was pulled away from the commotion by Melody inside the cool Cabin.

Swallowing a Tylenol with a glass of cold water, Wendy collapsed in her desk chair. Melody came up beside her and rubbed her back, chuckling. "You just don't know when to quit, do you?"

The redhead rolled her eyes, "I'm going back out there in an hour."

Melody gave her a stern look, "No, you're not. There's plenty of things to take care of inside here. You shouldn't exert yourself like that."

"I love it how this is coming from the pregnant lady." Wendy grumbled, curling up on the seat.

"Wendy, listen," Melody sighed, "I know you want to be there for Dipper. We're all going through a tough time with Mabel's absence. She's the heart and soul of this place, and now that she's gone…" The middle aged woman fell silent, turning her head so she got a perfect view of outside. Her husband, Soos, was doing wonderfully with the kids, creating balloon animals and crafting snow cones. He was oblivious to the outside world, in a state of euphoria, completely and utterly happy. How he managed to do that, what with everyone else in a constant state of worry, was a miracle. "You need to take care of yourself, too."

"I sometimes forget about that, huh?" Wendy chuckled, getting a nod from Melody. "I just feel so _horrible_ that I let this _happen_ , Mel. If I said something… if I stood up for Mabes when he hit her…" She closed her eyes and winced, still hearing in her minds' eye the resounding slap.

"We were all fooled, Wendy. Worrying about the could'ves and the should'ves isn't going to get us anywhere now," She gave her a look, "I'm guessing that's not the only thing on your mind, then?"

Wendy shook her head, a strained expression on her face, "I want to have a baby." She took a deep breath, and took another swig of water. "I know neither of us are prepared, or married, or own a home, but I'm just… going through this weird mood where I just seriously wanna have a baby. It's why I'm like, so pissed off right now."

The two fell silent as Melody thought of an answer to comfort her friend, and she gave her a hug. "I get it. You're older than him by a few years, raised by a big family, and you had to mature at a young age. You're very nurturing, I can defiantly see you as a momma. You're more than ready, but preparing for a kid is a two-person process, you know that, right? You can't just assume Dipper's a mind reader and know what you want. There's a time and a place. Right now, we're dealing with a situation that if a baby was thrown into the mix, things would go haywire. I'm sorry to play the naysayer but I think you need to hear that."

Wendy wiped her eyes, and placed her head on her desk. Her answer was muffled, but Melody could make out a "thank you" and "I'm sorry". She continued to rub her friends back as she cried, unsure of what more to say.

Suddenly, the phone rang, jolting Wendy out of her uncomfortable state. She managed to reach for the cellular device quicker than Melody did, her pain forgotten.

"Hi, this is the Mystery Log Cabin front desk, how may I help you?" She answered professionally.

" _I'd like to speak with Dipper Pines, please_." The woman on the other end replied, her voice urgent and devoid of emotion. Wendy nearly flinched at her tone.

She had to pause to collect herself, earning a strange look from Melody. "I'm sorry, but he can't take any calls right now. He's in the middle of a tour. I can take a message?"

" _I don't fucking care if he's fighting a three headed dragon. This is an emergency. I need to speak with him now. His sister's in a state of shock and we can't get through to her. Put him on the line or I won't hesitate to drive up there myself_." The woman hissed, causing both girls' mouths to drop agape.

This time, Wendy responded in a different tone, "Holy shit, you found her? She's with you? Thank God, I'll get him right now. Please hang on a moment."

Melody stood frozen in shock as Wendy hurried outside, pushing her way through the masses of people that were surrounding the Mystery Cabin. It was almost 3 in the afternoon now, but the party was still going strong. She finally saw Dipper, indeed in the middle of a tour, but he stopped mid-sentence when he saw his girlfriend practically tackling grown men out of her way.

"Wendy! What the hell are you doing outside? You need to rest! What's the matter?"

"I'm on my _period,_ not _pregnant_ , dumbass," she hissed, causing some of the tourists to chuckle. She gave them a deadly glare and they went about their business. She roughly pulled him aside. "You need to take this call. It's about Mabel. Someone's found her."

Tears welled in Dipper's eyes as they rushed back into the Cabin, the two finding quietness in Dipper's home office. He slammed the door shut, and grabbed the phone impatiently from Wendy's hands. She collapsed onto the desk chair with a relieved huff.

"M-Mabel! Mabel, sis, is everything okay? Where are you?" He was asking questions a mile a minute.

" _I was hoping you could answer that_ ," A new voice sneered, causing the young man to gulp. He certainly wasn't expecting that to be his warm welcome.

"Whoa, okay, first, you need to tell me where you are and where you are located. How do I know that you are some random chick off the street who wants to date me because she found my sister?" The tension in the room was profound.

The mysterious caller laughed, " _First of all, I'm into vaginas. Secondly, who I am and where I am doesn't concern you. What concerns you is that you're going to tell me why your sister is unresponsive and how she ended up far away from Gravity Falls."_

"Woman, TMI," He groaned, taking a deep breath. "Let's just say that the information I'm about to tell you is something that could get me into deep shit."

" _Time's ticking. If you don't say anything I'm going to scream_." She threatened, and Dipper shared a look with Wendy. She was sitting up now, alert.

"J-just, please describe her right now. What does she look like? What kind of state is she in?" He asked, just above a whisper.

There was a sigh. " _She's staring blankly at my coffee table. She's hunched over, not responding, not talking, her body shaking. It's scaring me. I have no idea what happened, but whoever sent that text shut her down completely."_

Dipper reached for Wendy's hand, who squeezed it, and he shut his eyes. "That's the worst thing I need to hear. It means he's contacted her. He's somehow found a way to reach her, and is currently at large, now with full intent on ruining all of our lives." He let out an audible groan, "That bastard Gleeful."

The woman on the other line, who remained anonymous, sensed his fear and gulped. " _Shit. Don't tell me we're dealing with_ …"

"The one and only Freddie Andrew Gleeful? Yeah. Once forgotten family member of the Gleefuls, he regained his fame by become a famous entrepreneur and richest businessman of the Tristate Area. We were all fooled by that cruel dick. Even me."

" _How did you guys even meet up with him?"_ The voice was angered now, beyond measure. She barely knew half of the situation and she was ready for the killing to start.

"It was the summer of 2018. And we had just finalized all of the down payments to officially call the Mystery Log Cabin ours. Mabel and I, we were so thrilled, finally to whip the Shack into something greater and restore our Great Uncles's fortune through good deeds. We threw a party. It was open invite, anybody could come. We wore our best suits and spruced the place up with the little money we started out with."

" _So, I'm sorry to interrupt, but you guys never went to college_?"

"I had just begun attending college in the states when this all started, but she begged me to come and help her. I didn't admit it at the time, but I had that same desire, too. So, instead of attending a four-year college, I got my bachelor's degree in Business at a local community college. Does that answer your question, Miss Anonymous?"

The woman laughed, and he continued on with the story. "So, yeah. The Gleefuls. We had a history with them as kids, but overtime, Gideon had gotten some sense smacked into him and he changed his ways, once he gave up the family business when he saw how unfairly they were treating their employees. Mabel was the one who actually talked him into that, and since then, they became good partners. He gave us connections and we gave him valuable information and clientele, it was a fair trade. Anyways, getting back to the huge party, once all of the paperwork and everything was done, we celebrated. And enter in Freddie Gleeful, with a wide and proud look on his face, acting like he did all of the work, and owned the place. I wasn't so impressed at first, but Gideon was thrilled to see his cousin, and Mabel, well…"

Dipper fell silent, closing his eyes as he could perfectly remember the scene. His sister, in her stunning purple dress, hair done up and make up decorated her face like she was Miss USA. His sister, staring in humbled awe at the man who had just entered the room, her eyes shining with curiosity. Dipper knew That Look all too well. Mabel was quick to trust people, and while that added to her charm, it caused more problems than good.

The young woman on the other line let out a sigh, " _When did it all turn to shit?"_ She let out bitterly, getting straight to the point. Guess she wasn't one for storytelling.

"When Mabel started to spend an alarmingly amount of time with her new fancy boyfriend, and put him before her family. This was three years into the relationship, and they were going strong. She was the public celebrity in Gravity Falls for a while, and she ate that up—the fame went straight to her head. I think somewhere deep inside that thick skull of hers, she realized how manipulated she became, but she never had the courage to say no. Mabel's a giver. She gives and gives everything she has until she's out of it, and she'll find a way to give more. Freddie was somehow able to turn my sister into a former shell of herself because of how much he abused that power. It sure gave him the shock of his life when she turned down the offer to marry him."

The woman was silent for a while, then she said, " _Damn_."

"It was at one of his private restaurants, too. He arranged everything. From the dress, the limo, to the orchestra." Dipper shook his head, "He used that to get her to stay—it was his trump card. He knew that, if she said yes or no, he would still have her wrapped around his grubby fingers."

" _His plan still backfired terribly on her. He cut off all ties with her family so he could have her all to himself. But she caught on."_ She stated proudly, and Dipper can almost see the smirk forming on her face.

"And when she did, we didn't hear the end of it from Gideon. I've never seen a grown man cry before then, he was so scared for her. He swore he did everything he could to track her down and 'have words with his dear old cousin'. I can assure you, more than just words were said."

" _So where is Gideon now? Is he safe?_ " She worried.

"He's taking care of things in his family home in upstate Oregon, and abandoned social media for the time being. We owe so much for what he's done already, and we haven't even scratched the surface of this crisis. I'm just…" Wendy held him tight as tears began to poor down his face, "I'm just relieved that I can sleep at night knowing my sister is in a safe place for now. This past month, none of us have been able to rest, both figuratively and literally, trying to plot where Freddie's next move is going to be or where my sister is located. We have to do this all in secret, you know, and keep everything under wraps because if word gets out… our business, everything that we've worked for, could be ruined."

" _I won't let that happen. I swear upon it_." She spoke with so much courage that it gave Dipper hope. " _I swear I'll take care of your sister. And I'll even help you with your situation. It's the least I can do."_ In the background, he could hear quiet sobs, and knew that it was Mabel. His heart broke in two.

"Okay, now I have a question for you. How did you find Mabel?" He asked, and Wendy leaned in, intrigued to hear her answer.

There was a pause, and for a moment, Dipper worried she was going to hang up. Finally, the anonymous woman relented, "My dad owns a diner. I was working the late shift and we were just about to close up. It was raining, and we didn't think we would get any more customers. Suddenly, the door burst open and in comes Mabel. If it was possible, she was more shaken up then she is now. She held herself together for only a few seconds before she burst out crying, and I had to take her into the restroom so she wouldn't disturb the customers."

There were a few things about this tale that didn't add up for Dipper, as he shared a knowing look with Wendy. He didn't say anything to defy her. Mabel, who was quiet for the majority of the conversation, decided now was the perfect time to speak.

" _I'm so sorry, bro. I'm so sorry I got us into this. I ruined our lives because I devoted everything to just one man…who cared so little for me!"_ Mabel whimpered, and Dipper wished he could comfort her.

"No way is this your fault. You couldn't have known. We couldn't have known. I don't blame you for anything, Mabel. I hold no ill will against you; I never have, and I never will, alright? I love you. You mean so much to me, more than you ever know."

" _It still doesn't stop the pain… the quilt… the regret…"_ Mabel took in a deep breath, but the tears didn't stop. " _I'm sorry. I'm sorry."_

"I know at this point I'm not going to reach her," Dipper grumbled as the phone was passed back into the woman's hands. "Thank you. You've already done so much just by calling here. It would help us immensely if we got your name?"

There was a pause, and for a moment all Dipper could hear was Mabel's cries. " _My name is Mystery. Mystery River. If you ever repeat that name to anybody else_ , _my assistance will no longer be of service to you. Do you understand, Mr. Pines?"_

Dipper, knowing better than to argue when they've made so much progress, could only nod. "I do. Thank you, truly. Please call us if there are any sudden emergencies."

"Of course." The line went dead.

Dipper sat in frozen awe, at had what just transpired, until Wendy could not contain her silence any longer. She was so relieved, she flung herself at him, happy tears streaming down her face. The young man let out a laugh of jubilation, as he kissed her passionately, the two momentarily forgetting everything else.

"She's safe. She's okay. She's alright. She's alive. She's safe." Dipper repeated that mantra in dubious relief, holding his beloved tightly. Wendy did the same, tears stinging her eyes, burying her face onto his chest. They hadn't realized they stayed in that office for the rest of the day, never leaving each-other's embrace, until Soos had come in, looking for a screwdriver.


	11. Chapter Eleven: Rooftop Confessions

**Nikki's Note: Hey guys! How is the first week of May going for everyone? Hard to believe that its almost summer now. A little disclaimer before you read this chapter, this is going to be really text heavy and some trigger warnings. Mystery and Mabel are going to have the confession of the century. This, as a whole, is probably my most favorite chapter to date -out of any story I've ever written- due to the sheer raw emotions that just come off the page. This hits home for me, because its the first time I've ever written out a lesbian scene, and I honestly struggled due to years of being forced back into the closet. Yup, you heard me right, I came out that I was _bisexual_ to my family in the summer of '15. It was starting to become unbearable and I hated the way I was being treated because of my mannerisms. So, in order to end it, once and for all, I told my parents everything. It was especially hard because we are a very religious family (Christian) and they didn't believe me at first. They tried making all of these half-assed excuses on why I could be wrong, while I stayed firm and prayed to God they listened to me. It was a hard blow for them, and even now when the topic comes up they try to change it, but I remind them. I remind them that I am still their daughter and nothing, my personality, has never changed. Coming out to your parents is the hardest. Slowly, the rest of your family becomes a bit more accepting, but nothing will ever be back to normal like that relationship you've had with your parents. I'll admit I have become a bit more confident over the past year due to my coming out, and I've met some awesome people in the LGBT community who are very supportive. This is why I decided on writing this story, mainly, and why these characters, Gravity Falls, mean so much to me still. If any of you are struggling, please know that there is always someone out there who cares for you. THERE IS HOPE. Thank you all for reading/reviewing my work, even though you don't have to. It makes my gay little heart sing. XD **

* * *

_**Chapter Eleven: Rooftop Confessions**_

The little family sat together on Mystery's house in quiet astonishment, unsure of what to do next. Mabel was still wrapped in Mystery's embrace, her sobs lessening but the initial hurt and resent still evident. At this, Mike couldn't help but smirk and wink in her direction, which earned him a burning glare that could have made anybody else piss their pants.

Joe let out a chuckle, "Alright, the party's over. I think we should head out. It's the first day of summer, and the diner isn't going to cook food itself."

Mike gasped dramatically, "I nearly forgot! Today's when we could finally get into the public pool for free!"

The long term diner owner gave him a sour look, "Michel, you're a grown man. The last thing you want is to be surrounded in a tiny community pool with adults whining about their jobs and kids pooping in the water."

"You don't know my life." Mike answered back with pure sass, getting a half-hearted giggle from Mystery.

"You guys go. We'll be okay here. We'll celebrate the first day of summer tomorrow." She promised, causing Mike to nod.

"If you need anything—" She shut him up with another glare, and he took a couple steps backwards. "Fine, fine. So long, ladies! Happy to be of service on this beautiful summer day! I'm off, but you know where to reach me!" He left with a dramatic bow, followed by a bemused Joe. The door slammed shut.

Suddenly the house became quiet again, and she let out a sigh of relief. The conversation she just had with Dipper left her in a bewildered daze, as she tried to calm her beating heart. Man, that voice of his brought back memories. It was crazy how much she missed hearing that pubescent, squeaky voice, going back to the simpler times. There was no doubt that his gal Wendy was with him too, giving him the comfort he needed, all the while getting the information she can. Mystery never remembered being close to the once teenager, or had any social contact; as a child her main focus was the Pines Twins. Her crowd seemed dull to her child's mind, but hey, if that's what Dipper was into, she wasn't judging.

Mystery took in a deep breath as she felt Mabel tighten her grip, and her face heated up. Dealing with newfound information from the phone call did not help her growing feelings for the woman on her lap, it only caused her anxiety to worsen. Wearily, she looked into her kitchen to check the digital clock that read 1:00 pm. She didn't have to worry about her art class today, as the summer courses do not start up again until after the 4th of July weekend. She set it up that way since she realized the families of Springfield usually went on vacation right after school ended, and if the kid did stay, their attention span was shorter than a goldfish.

The elementary school system ended their classes on the 15th of June, but Mystery's art class didn't end until the 20th. Attending the final two weeks of sessions weren't mandatory, but for some pretty dedicated students, they wanted to finish their projects before summer began.

At this point, Mystery's mind was so out of focus that she hadn't realized Mabel fell asleep, and the young artist looked at her in disbelief. The poor thing was so worn out, she cried herself to exhaustion. Carefully, Mystery inched her way to the end of the couch, making no sound. She managed to entangle herself from Mabel's grip, her heart beating a mile a minute. She gently positioned her so that Mabel was laying on her side, with her arms tucked beside her. She quietly tip-toed upstairs to get her a pillow and a light blanket—even though it was hot outside, that couch was not comfortable to sleep on.

Once Mabel was finally in a state of peace, Mystery slumped her shoulders. She was at a loss, now. What should she do? What can she do? In just a mere few hours, her brain experienced an emotional overload. She can't just sit around and do nothing. Not when she was now taking care of a second human being whom she may or may not have a crush on. She was just a single person, not a miracle worker. If one man had such a horrible impact on Mabel's life, how can she, a nobody without a real identity, save her?

Suddenly, just as that thought left, a strike of imagination hit her. Her eyes lit up in delight as she scrambled to get her painting materials, and forgetting about any of her personal needs, headed straight to her mural. She did not stop painting, even when the people of Springfield came to watch her.

0o0o0o

Art, above all things, was her passion. Anything from watercolor, to oil, to acrylic, to line art she loved to use to portray her feelings into colorful scenery. As a child she remembered locking herself in her room, trying furiously to replicate her favorite cartoon characters into her own, unique style. Of course, she was not perfect at first, and it took years before she finally felt immense pride when she finished a masterpiece.

Unfortunately for her, The Northwest's were not a liberal arts kind of family. They discouraged any form of creativity and self-expression, claiming that it would only taint the family name. Preston had warned her daughter multiple times that if they ever saw any of her creations, serious consequences would ensue. Whenever her parents were into an argument, she would hide in her room, safe in her own two-dimensional world.

A small part of her desired to use her creations to save her family name. She would put on a disguise as she wandered into town, offering to draw the people of Gravity Falls or sell her art for cheap prices. The folks were amused by this young entrepreneur, and payed tribute to her success. They never suspected a thing, until word spread far enough that the Northwest's heard of the young aspiring artist.

Pre-Mystery was never afraid of her parents when they lashed out on her, but in that moment, she remembered feeling so scared and horrified by her parent's wrath. They were unforgiving. Priscilla spanked her hard enough to make the poor girl cry, and Preston burned her art book right in front of the girl. Ever since then, her passion for the arts was gone.

It wasn't until after Mystery came into Springfield, and after she was settled in with her new family that she found her passion again. She owes so much to Joe O' Riley. He saved her life.

Wiping the sweat off her brow, Mystery stretched her tired muscles and leaned backwards on her scaffold. She was beyond exhausted; she had worked from 1:00 pm until 10:30 pm nonstop, without taking breaks, for a whole ten hours. Of course, being a skilled painter, she was used to this extreme. She pushed herself to the limits to finish a painting, and refused to leave anything incomplete. The satisfaction of doing so was even more rewarding than getting praise from her family, or likes on her Facebook account.

Mystery hopped down from her scaffold with her brush and paint in hand. She stared at her mural for a few moments more, basking in all its glory, once and for all.

She had taken a break from her mural for a year. Working with her art studio class and at _The Pancake House_ had suddenly become top priority for her that she hardly had any time to herself, or to paint. A little part of the problem too was that she lost inspiration for her big project, and moping about her dilemma pushed back the process big time.

Until the precious being that is Mabel came back into her life. It's only been a full 24 hours since that woman showed up, but it's been the best 24 hours of her life, and she knew she'll never forget it. Like a flame, she rekindled her love for painting.

Tears began to glisten in Mystery's eyes as she whooped and hollered, basking in her moment of joy. From left to right, her mural portrayed her interpretation of _Springfield_ , Oregon. The river, the lighthouse, the mountains, the forest, the town, the people, everything. She portrayed the blue sky and the brilliant sun that was always shinning down upon her lovely home. She community lots and the wildlife that were always present. It was perfect, but for the longest time, something was always missing.

Mystery never believed in the red string of fate, or destiny, or miracles. Though, ever since her rebirth, she believed that everyone, somewhere, had a guardian angel. It could be a loved one or a patron saint, but there was always someone looking after her in Paradise, guiding her through the unpredictable future. And along comes Mabel, further putting truth into her theory.

She drew that. An angel, looking over Springfield, protecting the little town. An angel with beautiful brown hair, a face with indescribable beauty, and a royal purple robe, draping across the borderline of the town. The angel's hair was flowing throughout the entire painting, like the wind, and she even made sure that some strands of hair were drawn in between the houses. The angels' hands were outstretched, open, and welcoming. If one asked Mystery what was the inspiration for this magnificent piece of work, she would blush and refuse to answer. For she believed that it would ruin the beauty, knowing the reason or the desire behind the anonymous angel.

Yawning, and rubbing her tired back, Mystery trudged her way up the steps to her flat. She gently placed her painting tools on her coffee table by the door, only to see that Mabel was not sleeping on the couch. She panicked, quietly looking for her around her tiny apartment. She took at a wild guess as to where Mabel could be, but she was nowhere in sight.

Hesitant she would receive an answer, she called out, her voice sore from hardly using it, "Mabel? Where are you?"

She received an answer, though it was distant, coming from the stairs to the roof. "I'm up here! Sorry, I couldn't sleep." Mystery let out a sigh of relief.

She chuckled. She knew it wasn't long before Mabel found out about her secret hideaway, which was a built in patio on the roof to store extra easels and painting supplies. Mystery hung out up there whenever she needed a break from the world, or find inspiration from Springfield's incredible scenery. She would never give up that view to the mountains.

Mystery climbed up the rickety stairs, hoisting herself onto the cement floor. She grunted as she dusted off dirt and grime, her heart racing when she saw Mabel from the corner of her eyes. The Mystery Twin was definitely in a much better state than before. She took a shower, and the artist could smell her coconut conditioner a mile away. She sat up straight, arms outstretched as she sat comfortably on a cardboard box. The poor, love-struck woman nearly fainted when Mabel turned around, and gave her a small smile.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself." Mystery stammered, unsure of what to say. _Cute girl alert, cute girl alert, BRAIN, THIS IS WHERE YOU FUNCTION PROPERLY NOW. SAY SOMETHING COOL._ "Um. So, enjoying the view?" _IDIOT._

Mabel giggled. "Springfield is so lovely. It even rivals Gravity Falls. Though, nothing compares to my hometown, Piedmont." She moved over so Mystery could sit next to her. "C'mon, you look tired. Sit with me."

Robotically, Mystery somehow made her way to Mabel, sparks tingling up her arm when their shoulders touched as she sat down. A furious blush appeared on her face, and she tried discreetly to hide it. The two sat in silence for a while, looking at the stars, listening to the cicadas chirping away, feeling the cool summer night through their skin. Mystery would've preferred to stay like this the rest of the night, but Mabel had a lot on her mind.

"Are you mad at me?" Mabel muttered, ruining the silence. Mystery sputtered at her, turning her head around so fast she swore she heard bones crack. That was the most ludicrous question she heard. Mabel held up a hand to silence her, "I mean, here I am, showing up in your town, with no explanation, demanding hospitality, and quite probably ruining your life and the peace that you've worked to get a grasp of for the past ten years. I'm practically a train-wreck at this point."

"Mabel, I'm not…" Mystery paused, trying to form a decent answer that would not hurt the woman. "I'm not _mad_. Confused, and a little bit frustrated, but I'm not angry. Far from it," She gave her a reassuring smile, "There's nothing to blame. The events leading up to this day brought you here, and that's nothing I can stop. I can't change the past, and I wouldn't want to. Why would I change something that happened to you for my personal selfishness? That's ridiculous."

Nodding, Mabel leaned her head on Mystery's shoulder. "I guess. I'm sorry, ever since… ya'know, I just feel so horrible that my situation came to a point where you had to call my bro. I wish I was strong enough to tell you the full story."

"Mabel, don't apologize," She said, bravely taking her hand, "It's better that it happened that way. I would not have wanted you to say something you weren't ready for. For Christ's sake, you only just escaped from an abusive relationship. The only thing that would be expected of you now is to be seeking out comfort. No explanation on your part, and no apologies." She shook her head, "I swear, I will be the first to smack that bastard when we track him down."

Mabel looked at her with adoration, and tears in her eyes, "You're so passionate about helping my brother with this. You don't have to be. You could just drop me off at the nearest Motel and I'll find my own way back to Gravity Falls."

Forcefully, Mystery took Mabel's hands into hers and they looked into each other's eyes, "I'll never forgive myself for that. You've wormed your way back into my life, Mabel, and now I'm devoted to protecting you. If I gave up on you, essentially, it'll be like committing suicide. _Again_. I have been blessed here, in Springfield, but I went about my daily tasks without meaning. They were dull, black and white. Now that you're here, for the past 24 hours, I had a purpose, and I see in color. If you give me a chance, and if you accept me, anything that you ask for will be yours. I can promise you that."

Tears were streaming down Mabel's face, as she let out a happy giggle, "That's a strong declaration of passion. I'll hold you to that promise."

The two giggled, and Mystery, feeling comfortable, leaned in closer, "I know I have a few things to ask you now, that an explanation is owed. I hope you don't mind being up for a while." Mabel nodded, urging for her to continue. "So, you remember this morning, right? When you asked me about my dreams?"

Mabel's eyes grew wide, "Paz, if you don't want to talk about it—"

"But the thing is, now that we're here, I seriously do. I never talk about my nightmares… er, visions, to anyone… not even Mike. They're so scary, that sometimes I need to pinch myself in broad daylight to make sure that I'm not dreaming. My dreams started happening since my coming to Springfield. Every time I would close my eyes, I would see the town in total destruction, flipped upside down to its core, and everybody I had grown to love were dead. Each day, it would be a different townsfolk who dies who've touched my life in some way… and they switch, each week. And it's… honestly sometimes I wonder what was going through my head when I stood on that water tower."

"If I knew, that I would be plagued each night, as a punishment for my wrongdoings, and that the grass wasn't greener, would I still have jumped?" Mystery let out a tired sigh, resting her chin on her knees, "I don't know. There is no win or lose situation here. I still hate meeting new people sometimes, because I fear that they would show up in my dreams, but people are drawn to me like a magnet. I… I still have that itching desire to be the center of attention, just like when I was a kid. But for good reasons now. Good intentions. It terrifies me that one day my past would come back to bite me in the ass, and if I weren't careful, my secret would be exposed."

"You mean; you haven't told anyone? Not even Joe?" Mabel asked in surprise.

"Y'see, the first few years were hard. I tried to push back as many horrible memories I had of Gravity Falls, until memories became a bunch of nameless faces and situations. I was worried that if I slipped up, just once, the police would track me down and force me into foster care. I had no idea what my parents were doing, and no idea if any other family members knew about the situation. But I didn't care about that. I was walking on eggshells for a long time before I finally accepted my new home, and came clean to Joe. I just…"

Mystery took in a deep breath, "I just remembered how I hated feeling that power I held over you guys. How superior I tried to feel, whenever the situation was bad at home. I harnessed that energy to lash out to you and your brother, when you did nothing wrong, and you were just trying to have a good time. I remembered that, and then I remembered how I felt when I finally let all that go. How… the weight lifted off my shoulders. How I realized how pathetic that all was." She shook her head as the tears began to fall down her cheeks, "If anything, I should be the one who's apologizing. I'm the one who deserves to be hurting, _not you_."

"M-mystery!" Mabel blurted, shocked by how this conversation took a turn. If anything, this was the last reaction she wanted.

"Mabel, what happened to my parents? What were they like after I jumped?" She babbled, her hands shaking. "I just… I just need to know, to feel closure, once and for all."

Mabel grew quiet at this, unsure of how to reply. This conversation had definitely taken a weird turn, and suddenly she wished her brother was beside her. He was there, after all. He could explain the story better than she ever will. "Mystery, when… when _Pacifica_ died, we couldn't get ahold of your parents. They refused to talk, or expose information about you that would be helpful to the case. So Dipper and I… we decided to go through the mansion ourselves, without the police's help. We thought that if we took the case into our own hands, we would find even more clues. And sure enough… we did. Mystery, blonde was never your true color, was it? Were you always planning on cutting your hair? Why, out of all the things I could have found, I found a burnt art book hidden in your drawer?"

When Mystery didn't answer, Mabel turned so she could fully look at her, "Then, after that, we put the case on hiatus. It was so traumatizing for Dipper that they had to go cold turkey. We held a funeral for you, and put your gravestone right next to your great-grandparents. Gravity Falls was never normal after that. Each and every one of us, somehow felt horrible that we could've done something to stop you. To save you. We were all just… so guilty, even though we shouldn't have been."

Mystery shut her eyes tight, leaning onto Mabel as she could only imagine what the woman must've been through. "It wasn't until a year later, and we weren't even planning on visiting Gravity Falls for the summer. The wound was just too great, and we both agreed that we should skip a year. Then we heard… that Priscilla, Mrs. Northwest, went crazy. Her husband, Preston, was driving her insane with his ramblings and outcries, subdued to alcohol and preforming petty crimes for his fellow inmates. She started getting violent with her parole officers, and she couldn't be controlled. We had my Grunkle Stan come in, and interrogate the both of them, along with Grunkle Ford for backup. She came clean. She finally showed her true colors that day with her husband, and told us… told us all of the horrible things they did to you. What took place before you were pushed to the breaking point. She was just so… pained, with guilt, and anger that she harbored everything in for so long it almost killed her. Preston didn't look any better himself, but he started to show remorse for that day, too. They revealed, deep down, they… really cared for you, Mystery, but they were never ready to be parents. They spoiled you and gave you attention in the only way they knew how, even if it was for the wrong reasons. Of course, that wasn't enough of an excuse for the state court, and our judge acclaimed for them to be sent to the looney bin. It was… better than being stuck for twenty years in jail for child abuse and a fraud will, I guess."

Mabel took a deep breath as her voice became raspy, and cleared her throat. "Maybe that's not the greatest thing to hear… I didn't know what you were expecting."

Mystery shook her head, soaking up all the information like a sponge. She was silent, and Mabel waited until her friend had the courage to speak. It was becoming dusk now, the night sky turning into a dark purple. Neither girl was tired, as they were amped up from the day's events. Finally, Mystery turned to fully look Mabel in the eye, "Thank you, Mabel. You have no idea how at ease I am right now." Grunting, she got up, ignoring her sore muscles so she could lean against the fence railing. Mabel, who wanted to stretch her legs as well, hesitantly followed Mystery, confused by her racing heart. She felt her cheeks flush a deep crimson as she fully examined Mystery's curves, and how her short, jet black hair hung just below her neck. This feeling of passion momentarily froze her, as she had no idea how to handle herself in this situation.

All her life, she loved and adored boys. The amount of crushes she had as a child were in the thousands, and she held the world record for the most amount of awe-inspiring dates. She was the most wanted gal to date. She believed that one day a strong, handsome man would wipe her off her feet and they were run off into the sunset. She never in a million years thought she would imagine that same situation… _with a woman_. Mystery was a game-changer. She was wild, brave, bold, and quirky. She was determined, and loyal to her friends. All of these traits, could easily be found in a man, but Mabel found herself desiring that and more with the same sex. It was a strong attraction, and it would be a crime to ignore or deny what she felt.

It wasn't that Mabel was homophobic. Far from it; her and Dipper had been to more Gay Pride Parades in NYC than she could count. In fact, when her best friends, Candy and Grenda came out that they were dating, she was so happy she threw a party for them to celebrate. She loved participating in the LGBT community and met a lot of awesome people through those events. But the thought of ever imagining that she was a lesbian, or ever harbored feelings for a woman, was a quick 0 to100 on the crazy scale. If she ever had the time to reevaluate her life, now wasn't the time. There were just too many instances that all solved this theory at once.

Mystery turned to look at her, the light casting a majestic glow around her face. Mabel internally gulped, gripping onto the fence. She opened her mouth to speak, but was captivated by her beauty. There was no questioning it.

"Hey, Mabes." Dipper always called her that, but when Mystery said it, fairies were having a dance party in her stomach. "Can we just… try something crazy?" She leaned in closer, "Now that we both come clean about our secrets… wanna finish where we left off this morning?"

"Y-you're… attracted to me?" Mabel blurted, her face heating up. Mystery blushed as well, looking smug.

"There's no sense in hiding anymore. I—I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable, at all, but ever since you came there's been this undeniable pull towards you. I—I know that you're probably 100% straight, but—"

Mabel didn't waste a second and leaned in, pecking her awkwardly on the lips. The two stared at each other in shock, and a small smile spread across Mystery's face. Mystery stepped closer, closing the gap between them and wrapped her arms around Mabel's neck. She could tell Mabel was nervous, but the woman was willing to try. That single, small gesture made Mystery's heart soar and she kissed her, fully, savoring each precious moment. Mabel slowly grew more confident and she wrapped her arms around Mystery's waist, pressing her body firmly up against hers. Mystery's mind was going into overdrive as she explored each and every part of Mabel's mouth, a sense of wonder and excitement coming over her. Mystery's dated plenty of girls before, but they never were as intense as Mabel. She loved the thrill of the unknown, and the way Mabel was gripping her ass. That was so hot.

The two broke apart, panting, as they stared at each other with newfound devotion and intensity. Mystery grinned, rubbing her thighs up against Mabel's, "Have you ever kissed a girl before?" Blushing furiously, Mabel shook her head, "Not bad, kid. You'll learn. I'm the best there is, after all."

Mabel gave her a look, "Good to know that fall hasn't knocked your ego down one bit."

Mystery giggled, placing her head against Mabel's, "So, um. Did you like it? The kiss?"

"I did, you dork." She replied, lightly punching her on the shoulder. "Why the heck would I have kissed you first, then?"

"I, uh, can I kiss you again, if that's the case?"

"You could," Mabel grinned, "If we take this to the bedroom. I'm exhausted, and I would like to just cuddle with you."

"Fine by me." Mystery answered, picking her up bridal style. Mabel shrieked in surprise, laughing as the two carefully made their way down the stairs.

They safely landed on Mystery's hardwood floor, and, gracefully, Mystery lay Mabel on her bed. She collapsed beside her, her muscles finally giving up, though her arms were firmly wrapped around Mabel's body. Mystery looked up at Mabel, who was beaming at her, her cheeks a noticeable shade of red. The two stayed in that position for the rest of the night and well into the morning, never once thinking of leaving the other alone. Mystery's giant weight was finally lifted off her shoulders, and she felt a wave of euphoria wash over her. Mabel, beside her, was still trying to grasp in her heart if this was what it was like to be in love, truly, with another being. She basked in this newfound addiction, accepting it wholeheartedly, and in the process, forgetting about her past failures with love. Just for that moment, she forgot about Freddie, her brother, and the Mystery Cabin. The only person that mattered was the mysterious artist whom captured her heart, and vowed to protect it with her life.


	12. Chapter Twelve: Stand By Her

**Nikki's Note: I DON'T CARE IF YOU DON'T FUCKING LIKE BROADWAY. GO SEE LES MISERABLES RIGHT NOW. LIKE, DROP WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND GO TO NY. GO NOW BEFORE ITS TOO LATE.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Twelve: Stand by Her**_

Mabel slept like a baby that night. Cuddled up to Mystery, she's never slept that well in years. Not since her incident with him. And even on those nights, she couldn't sleep through the whole time. She just… didn't feel safe. Stretching her arms, a smile spread across her face as she rubbed her eyes, and smacked her lips.

She moved her hands beside her, only to find out that Mystery wasn't resting next to her. Her senses awake, she heard the clashing of pans and breakfast smells coming from the kitchen. She even heard Mystery singing a rock ballet, which caused her to giggle. She got up and quickly changed into one of Mystery's outfits, a light purple t-shirt and mini skirt, and skipped towards the kitchen. She smiled and hopped on one of the counters, just simply watching the artist cooking breakfast. The way the young woman moved her hips and bumped to the beat caused Mabel to blush, and she didn't even bother averting her eyes.

Feeling confident, though she had no idea where this initiative came from, she got down from the counter and wrapped her arms around Mystery's waist. She rested her chin on Mystery's shoulder, which was still bouncing to the beat, and giggled. The young woman let out a shriek at the touch and flipped her spatula, which coincidentally had a pancake that flung off and onto the counter.

Mystery gave Mabel a bemused look, and, smirking, she removed her blue headphones from her ears. "Yes?" She dragged out the word, her eyes shining with mirth.

"Whacha doin'?" Mabel asked sweetly, grinning.

"Well, I was cooking us breakfast before you ruined my plans. Gee, now I don't know what to do." Her face leaned into hers, her cheeks pink.

"What're you going to do about it?" Mabel smirked back, raising her eyebrow. Mystery said nothing and kissed her, placing her spatula down and wrapping her arms around her neck. Mabel let out a moan as their lips crashed against each other's, loving the sparks that shot up her arm. It has been a long time since that happened, since she felt this passion; it was indescribable.

Mystery explored her mouth, taking the initiative now, and Mabel did not mind. Her hands moved up her body, caressing her, making their way towards her boobs. A warning bell rang in the back of Mabel's mind, but she found the strength to ignore it, because she knew Mystery would never take things any further. Sure enough, her hands never went any further, and she worked her mouth like magic.

Mabel would've continued to kiss her, if it weren't for a certain best friend that just had to interrupt once more. The door slammed, and an exasperated groan came from the young adult.

"Hot _DAMN_ , Misty, you couldn't have been any gayer if you tried!" Mike shouted, holding his hand to his chest.

Mystery let out a shriek, and, grabbing the pancake, flung it at her best friend. She pulled a laughing Mabel closer to her, keeping her arms wrapped around her waist. "Damn it all, Mike, do you know how to knock?" She hissed, blushing. Mabel hid her face in Mystery's shoulder out of embarrassment.

"Uh, you gave me your spare key, remember?" He grinned, holding up the key chain. The pancake fell to the floor. "How do you think I've been getting into your apartment? Teleportation?"

"That's believable." Mabel smirked, looking up at Mystery.

"Anyway, what do yah want?" The artist asked, trying to ignore how fast her heart was pumping.

Mike froze for a moment, forgetting for a second because he just saw his best friend making out with a girl they've just met, until he remembered. "Oh yeah! Holy shit, Mystery, you finished your mural! The whole towns going crazy over it, and its only 9:00 am! Turn up, bruh!"

Mabel gave her a weird look, but Mystery grinned with pride, "I know! I've been meaning to call you, but, ah, got caught up in something." Mike wiggled his eyebrows, causing Mystery to glare at him, "Who has seen it? What's going on?"

Mike held up his fingers, "My mom, Joe, Kelsey, Austin, their families, Sonja and Billy, their friends, the town priest, everyone on Main Boulevard, Fifth Street, and Bloomfield Avenue came over to see! They're just… your angel, Mystery, it could be seen from all corners of Springfield. How did you do that?"

"I can't tell you all of my secrets." She winked, and Mabel gave her a weird look. Just what were they talking about?

"You're lame," Mike groused, but his mood changed as he bounded towards them, and grabbed Mabel's hand. "But, OMG, girl, you have to see what she painted."

"Uh… okay!" She giggled, looking back at Mystery. She shook her head and followed the two, remembering to turn off the oven and clean up her counter tops before leaving the apartment. When she arrived outside, a crowd was already beginning to form around her marvelous work, and her heart raced with anticipation. Mabel and Mike stood in the very front, and he was pointing to all the beautiful areas of the mural. Mabel listened to him intently, a wide smile on her face.

Amongst the crowd, Mystery spotted Sonja and Billy, as they waved her over.

"Wow, Miss River! This is amazing! I wish I can paint just as good as you one day!" The young twelve-year-old exclaimed.

Mystery beamed with pride, and ruffled his hair. "One day, kiddo. Reach for the stars, and when you're finished with that, reach even higher."

"Beautiful metaphor." Sonja grinned, giving Mystery a hug, "Man, and you still have paint on you. How long did you work on this for?"

Mystery shrugged, "From the afternoon until late evening, so like, ten hours, tops. I didn't have the passion to stop."

Billy gave her an incredulous look, "You mean, not even to the bathroom?" The two girls laughed.

"Don't worry, I took care of myself afterwards, kid. I'm curious, why is everyone standing outside in this heat? Why did so many people pause their morning just to come look at my painting?"

Sonja spread out her arms, motioning to the mural, "Mystery, don't you understand? This is the biggest thing that's ever happened to Springfield. We're such an average, rural town that never gets any attraction. Having someone as amazing and talented as you here makes' life here so much more interesting! You're an inspiration to us, girl. You jump outside the norm and give us the courage to do the same. I speak for a lot of people when I say that we are all genuinely grateful for the amount of time and care you've put into this town."

Mystery felt a lump in her throat at the kind words, feeling guilty that the lovely people of Springfield will never know her true story. Too them, she was just a dropout, from a backwater town, looking for a better life, and finding her muse. They'll never question her dark past, or her terrible inheritance she left behind. What they saw, the Mystery they knew now, was nothing more than an illusion.

If it was an illusion, why did it feel so real? So natural? Maybe this was for the best. It should stay that way. There was no going back.

"Wow, Sonja. I… I don't know what to say." She croaked, fighting back tears.

Sonja placed her hand on her shoulder, a wonderful smile on her face. "Don't say anything. You've done your part. Now just relax and enjoy life as it comes!" Mystery said nothing in return, since she didn't trust her voice. She went in for another hug, and even Billy got in on the action, causing the two women to laugh.

After an hour and some of the folks still haven't left, Mystery ran back into her apartment to gather up some food and refreshments. Before long, it wasn't a surprise that the small gathering turned into an impromptu block party, and Mystery made the rounds of introducing her neighbors to Mabel. The young woman was loving the attention, even though she did seem a bit shy at first. She didn't leave Mystery's side once, and people could tell from a mile away that they were going to be an item.

Joe even came to congratulate Mystery, taking time off from his busy day. "Congrats, kid. I knew you could do it." He grinned, slapping her on the shoulder.

Mystery laughed and gave him a hug, "I owe everything to you! If it weren't for your showing me this place, I would've never painted here."

Joe gave her a side eye, "Whatever, kiddo. Just let me be a proud dad for once, okay?" The two chuckled, and the long term diner owner caught eyes with Mabel, who waved. "So, how're things with Mabel? Is she alright?"

Mystery shrugged her shoulders, a halfhearted smile on her face, "I guess she's okay now. We had a long talk last night and cleared things up between us. The stuff that was said… really lifted a giant weight off of both of our shoulders."

"Good," Joe replied, a relieved smile on his face, "Did anything else happen? Ya'know, the hanky panky?" He laughed as Mystery turned beat red and shoved him aside.

"Are you serious, Joe? She just got over a freaking abusive relationship. I would never take things that far with her so soon," Mystery fiddled with the hem of her jacket, "Though, I may have… kissed her, at least twice."

Joe's smile formed into a smirk, "Wow, and she let you. Atta girl. I wouldn't mind having her as a future daughter-in-law. She's a good match for you."

If possible, Mystery's cheeks grew even pinker. The two shared a few laughs before Mike came running over, a wide smile on his face. "Mystery! I almost forgot, the mayor wants to speak with you! I meant for it to be a surprise but he's actually getting super mad that you're not there. So c'mon!"

Mystery gave him an incredulous look and smacked him across the head, causing Mabel to laugh. Together, the three hopped in Joe's car and they drove to the town hall.

Their mayor is a working class, clean cut sophisticated citizen by the name of Tanner Clarke, who was raised by a wealthy family in upstate New York. He is no more than 40 years of age, with over twenty years of political experience under his belt thanks to his father's business. He helped Springfield grow in the late 1990s, and founded a lot of projects to shape the town. He was charismatic and a great orator, often able to bend the crowd's opinion into his desire. He married to a beautiful woman named Lexa Johnson, and though they never had any children together, he acts as a guardian to some of the children in town, which earned him brownie points to some of the mothers.

Mystery always had an odd exchange with this man; he was young enough so that they could be called equals and friends, but in the political world, they couldn't have been more different than one another. Mystery had heard that she was the only one with this unpopular opinion, seeing how their previous mayor which was before her time, and was really set in his ways, appealing to the older generation.

She shook her head; just why would she be needed in the Town Hall? The last time she was there was almost ten years ago, when she and Joe had to solidify her citizenship in Springfield.

There was light chatter going on through the drive, but Mystery payed no attention to it. Mabel, however, took notice of her behavior, and squeezed her hand. Mystery looked at her and grinned, feeling somewhat relaxed, and leaned in to kiss Mabel on the cheek.

"No PDA in my car!" Joe shouted, causing Mike to burst out laughing. "Control your hormones, Misty, I taught you better."

"Fuck you, Joe. Let me kiss whomever I want." She sneered, though she grinned mischievously at him. Mabel was laughing uncontrollably, blushing all the while.

Before she knew it, Joe's car pulled up in front of Mayor Clarke's office. Mystery took in a calming breath and weakly gave a smile to her family. Strangely enough, they didn't follow her out right away, but Mabel did. The young woman held her hand as they walked up the long marble staircase.

"Something's up," Mystery said as they were right in front of the huge glass doors, "Everyone's acting way too suspicious." Mabel gave her hand a squeeze, but said nothing.

Greeting the two girls was Mrs. Lexa Clarke herself, and she gave Mystery a warm smile. "Hi, Miss River. Thanks for stopping by. The Mayor is waiting for you in his office." She then noticed Mabel, "I suppose you could wait with me."

Mystery turned to hug Mabel goodbye, and kissed her on the cheek discreetly. Mabel tried her best to hide her blush, though the First Lady did pass them an odd look. Taking a deep breath, Mystery opened the door and stepped into the homey office.

The man who greeted her had a triangle like body figure, with broad shoulders but skinny in the middle. He wore a clean grey suit and a red tie, with round glasses sitting on his nose. His once brown hair had gray streaks, due to stress of being in office for many years. He smiled in greeting and motioned for Mystery to sit.

"Hello, Mystery. It's sure been a while since I've seen you in my office, hasn't it?"

"I suppose so." She replied stiffly, barely getting comfortable.

"I hear you've made a lot of accomplishments this past year. Your art school has become quite popular." He rubbed his nose, leaning back on his chair.

"Kept me busy." She grinned, building up a barrier.

"So popular, in fact, that a famous artist from Canada is interested in doing business with you. An art trade, of sorts."

"I… do actually know about that, Mayor. Oliver Green and I keep in touch." She mumbled, "We're planning on doing something together this summer."

Oliver Green is an artist who does graphic novels and cartoons for many children's books. He is a new, on-the-scene talent scout looking for budding artists to collaborate with, and mostly helps get other artists going with their career rather than focusing only in his. Mike was able to find the guy through his start-up company, and Mystery was so excited about the idea. They've been skyping and emailing each other since January. Of course, this was old news, and she had no idea why the Mayor was even bringing it up.

"I'm sure the town of Springfield will be bustling with tourists when you two meet up." He grinned, dollar signs in his eyes. Mystery dared to shake her head at him. "Alright, well, since that is brought up, let's talk about the matter at hand."

"I, for one, would very much like to know." She leered at him, hands folded on her lap.

Tanner Clarke chuckled at the young woman and placed both of his elbows on the desk, leaning his fists against his face. "Don't act so on edge, Mystery. I didn't bring you in here to verbally attack you." Mystery gave him a look, but said nothing. "Actually, quite the opposite. I have been talking with the Town Council and I've received insider information that you've completed your mural, and everyone is going bananas over it." He smiled at her, catching Mystery off guard, "Normally I don't allow public property to be altered in any way, but you're a special case. So special, that you've managed to somehow recreate Springfield into a two-dimensional piece of art. How? How were you able to do it?"

Mystery let her shoulders sag and she sighed with relief. He didn't call her in to interrogate her. He didn't want to speak with her about what she thought they were going to discuss. Every day, even when it's not at the top of her mind, she's always on edge about her persona. If people suspect a thing, if her true identity comes in full color by accident. This was far from her worst fear possible.

"Everybody has a happy place," Mystery decided to say, grinning, "I didn't necessarily aim to recreate Springfield, when I was a kid, but as I grew older the image of what I wanted became clearer. Home doesn't have to be a building, or family, or friends even. Home is where you are truly able to be yourself, where you feel safe, and loved. As I was thinking about that, my fictional town morphed into Springfield. The lighthouse, the river, the mountains… I tried to represent them as best I could."

Tanner Clarke nodded, jotting down some notes onto his paper. "I see, I see. I couldn't have said it any better. Now, why did you quit, for some time? After you graduated high school, you stopped painting on that mural. You left a whole corner blank."

Mystery faltered, remembering that particular time in her life when things turned for the worst. The hormones took control, and she became her worst enemy. She was depressed. "I guess I was just busy." She lied, keeping her personal life out of his reach. "I was working part-time at Joe's and applying to colleges. When I got a horrible grade on my SATs and was rejected from my top choice, it was a hard blow. I lost all inspiration to paint."

"How did you find inspiration for the finalization of this piece? That angel, Mystery, has so much expression none of us can explain but you." He said, his eyes sparkling.

Mystery gulped. They were stepping into uncharted territory. "I… I don't know," she whispered, looking at her hands. "I'm not at liberty to explain myself. Call it whatever you will, but that angel means something special to me. If I tell you all my secrets, where its inspiration comes from, how I managed to finish it in such a short amount of time, would ruin how precious it is. All I can say, is that everyone has a spiritual guardian. They're always watching over you, through thick and thin, guiding you in the right path. I wanted to show that in art how much Springfield and my family means to me."

"Which now brings us to our next point of discussion," Mayor Clarke announced, nearly in tears himself. He discreetly rubbed his eyes. "Mystery River North, on the behalf of the Town Council, I, Mayor Tanner Clarke, want to award you with the Citizenship Award."

Mystery was speechless. She stared at him, and blinked, once, before gripping on the edge of her seat. "Mr. Mayor," She began shakily, looking at him straight in the eye, "Isn't the Citizenship Award for students only? Isn't there an age limit?"

"For you, Mystery, we're making an exception. Your resume as a student here was impressive, and you've always had a can-do attitude and worked hard for the little that you earned. We've had children and teens who attempted to accomplish what you had, but none of them were up to par within the past decade. We held off on having the awards ceremony the year your generation graduated for good reason. Now that your mural is complete, it's the perfect time for you to earn this award."

Mystery shut her eyes tight, not only from the pressure of his gaze, but mostly from exhaustion due to the night before. Hot tears poured from her eyes as she replayed his generous words in her head. What did she do to deserve this treatment? This admiration, this devotion, was certainly a thing that she would never get used to. For most of her childhood, she was verbally abused, broken down into nothing more than a shell of her former self. Is this really the recognition she desired? Being showered with attention for supporting her beloved sanctuary? Is this what happened to good people? After all she's done in her past, should she even be considered a good person now?

Then, Mystery thought about her emotional talk with Mabel, and her doubts subsided. She was given a second chance, and she accepted it with open arms. That alone should be enough. She went above and beyond to clear her name.

"M-mystery!" Someone shouted, and it wasn't the Mayor. Mabel had suddenly opened the door then, eyes wide, with a shocked First Lady behind her. The young woman hurried over in a panic, and wrapped her arms around Mystery's shoulders. "Mystery, he told you, didn't he? Everything's alright! Everything's fine! Congratulations!"

Mystery finally looked up at her then, tears in her eyes, but she smiled weakly. "I'm just so in shock, Mabel. This is the highest honor anyone could be given."

Lexa smiled at the two and walked over to her husband, "We were also hoping that you can make it to the awards ceremony later tonight, so you can say a few words. The Board of Education will also be giving out awards to our students due to their achievements, and there will be an after party. So you will be talking with a lot of happy parents and other proud citizens."

"Of course." Mystery said immediately, taking a deep breath. She held onto Mabel's arm for dear life. "That's kind of a given. I wouldn't mind going up at all."

The Mayor, relieved, stood up from his seat. Mystery struggled to do the same, with Mabel by her side, and she went to shake his hand. The two exchanged goodbyes and the artistic duo walked out the office.

Mystery and Mabel waited until they were fully out of the office before staring at each other, wide smiles on their faces. They started laughing joyously, jumping up and down, ignoring the stares from passerby. So this is what it was like to feel completely in bliss; to feel the joy of being awarded for good Samaritan work, to be rewarded for doing an equally incredible cause. Mystery had become numb to the pain of losing and sorrow for so long she almost forgotten what happiness felt like… true happiness.

And so, in that moment, Mystery decided that life was truly worth living for. That despite the terror and hardships it brings, without it, there wouldn't be joy.


	13. Chapter Thirteen: Death of a Bachleor

_**Growing Up**_

 _ **Chapter Thirteen: Death of a Bachelor**_

The young man paced angrily in his expensive apartment, ready to break anything who dare steps in his way. Normally he was a calm, collected man, but for the past week, nothing went his way. He had too many bad circumstances happen to him that put him off the edge, and he certainly wasn't the best person to talk with either on a daily basis.

He was losing it. One wrong move, one wrong decision, and everything that he worked for would be gone. There was no question about it.

"God damn it!" He seethed, slamming his fists on his granite countertops, smashing a couple plates in the process. Maybe he didn't play his cards right. Maybe he pulled out his ace of hearts too quickly. He had her, wrapped around his thumb, but maybe he should've waited until he got her stupid brother out of the way. If only that idiot man never tried to reach her, or argue with her, she would've still been with her.

He ran his hands through his hair and pulled out his smartphone, in an attempt to reach the young woman a second time. He skimmed through his previous text and typed in a new one, his eyes balking when he received an answer.

Gleeful: I have eyes in many places. Just you wait. You will be mine.

The seconds ticked on by as he waited, and the responder wasn't Mabel. He knew it.

Unknown: As do we. Watch your back before you make a move. Can't have the prince of an empire fall so quickly, now can we?

He attempted a call but the other line went straight to voicemail, and suddenly the tone dial was heard. His cheeks grew red with rage as his hands began to shake. They were onto him. How, in such a short amount of time, he'll never know. But they were, and he needed to step up his game. He needed his queen back.

Angrily, he stomped around his living room, pushing aside a poor waitress that just so happened to be in his way. She had a tray of vodka shots in her hand, presenting it to him wearily. "Sir, would you like a—!"

"Get me my agent!" He roared, pushing her with so much force that she fell backwards onto the couch, letting out a terrified squeal. He paid no mind to her as he stormed off, down his spiral staircase and into his secret lounge. He fiddled with the lock and impatiently went into the room before the door even fully turned open.

No one knew about this back room. For years, he'd kept it hidden, keeping his collection of mysteries growing by the thousands. He marveled at this new world he discovered, this new world that has kept him in power for so long. He lifted up his hand, somehow levitating himself closer to his mirage of passion. As far as he knew, he was the only one who discovered this world. Only he has this power to bend time and space to his liking, as if it were nothing but paper. He was the Ultimate Being. He had the influence of a god, it was only natural he got everything he asked for on a whim.

His eyes glowed a mystical yellow as he shifted through his array of strange devices, a sardonic smile creeping up his face. "Finally, after all these years," He chuckled darkly, flipping each book open to a certain page. "I have them all. The real sources." His hands glowed a dark purple as he suddenly began chanting a strange language, and all of his belongings began to fly across the room in a panicked frenzy.

0o0o0o

One would just have to wonder, how can a man become so cruel and heartless? How can one single human being be driven to such madness? To decide on such a fate for themselves never happens overnight. This is a gradual process, a committed one, something that they've devoted their lives to and even knowing the consequences beforehand.

Freddie Andrew Gleeful, despite the powerful name, lived an average childhood. His parents desperately tried to hide him away from their business, his father becoming secretive about his work during the day and his mother playing the role of the normal house wife. They lived in a lavish mansion just outside the country, but warning bells never went off in Freddie's head that something wasn't right. He always perceived his life, his everyday living, to be how everyone else lived their lives. He never attended a normal school system and his mother taught him everything he knew. He never had any brothers or sisters so he had a nanny to keep him company, and she was wonderful.

She was perhaps more of a mother than his actual one had been. When his mother and father were gone for long hours into the night, she would be there with him to tuck him into bed. Some would say he was a sheltered child, for he was never able to experience the joy of meeting a new friend or running after the ice cream truck on a Sunday afternoon. Come to think of it, he was hardly out of the house either, always cooped up inside his bedroom or in the family's lounge.

The only social interaction he had with the outside world was with his best cousin Gideon. Gideon was his first cousin, seeing how their fathers were brothers and leaders of the big business. Every holiday or weekend the boy would come over, and the two would bond over the latest video games, TV shows, or any of the drama Gideon started while he was at school. The apple never fell far from the tree with this family, and Gideon put his title as 'future president' on the edge, often using that to bribe his teachers. No one was the wiser, and he was the golden boy of Gravity Falls.

Then, when they became teens and celebrated their thirteenth birthday together, something changed within Gideon. He no longer ranted about his beloved future wife, whom he kept her identity hidden from Freddie, or her boisterous twin brother. He no longer raved and romanticized about his future plans for their company, no longer dreamed of wearing a crown above his head. Instead he was speaking in strange tongues of starting world peace, promoting effective helplines, and accomplishing charity work.

Thirteen, to some unfortunate souls, is an unlucky number. To Freddie, he saw his dear cousins dramatic change as a bad omen, and demanded that they'll never see each other again. Gideon's talk of passion and truth startled Freddie and he confronted his nanny rather than his parents. The nanny, even though she hoped to see a change within the boy since Gideon was able to, just listened. She said nothing and did nothing to help him. Later on that year, the old nanny died within her sleep and Freddie lost it. Hell broke loose within the Gleeful household as he demanded to know just why they've been keeping secrets, and he wanted to begin working with his father.

His argument was at a winning battle as his mother pleaded with his father to take him under his wing, so she could gain from this as well. Onlookers would take a glance at this family and say that this was a poor choice, but for the Gleefuls', success means sacrifice. Freddie gave up his teenage years so he could achieve what his pathetic cousin never did: an empire.

Through his connections, and his early start in the business world, he was able to meet his beloved Mabel. Somehow, despite his previous hatred towards his cousin, they had to form a commencement gala for their business. Gideon had offered Mabel to be his date to the gala, though it was just on friendly terms, because Mabel was there strictly on business. The Mystery Log Cabin had recently gone through its first renovation, and their goal was to make connections with big companies for profit. It was an easy plan, and Mabel was the perfect candidate to put this plan into effect.

The only fork that wedged her plans to a halt was non-other than Freddie himself. Their connection, however brief it may be, was powerful. No one can deny the energy radiating from the both of them that evening, as Mabel made a conscious effort to ignore the multi-millionaire completely. She had a job to do.

Mabel sucked in a nervous breath as she side-eyed Gideon, who was busily typing on his cell phone. She could feel a pair of eyes boring into her, but she didn't dare turn around and break the conversation she had with her client. He eagerly told her about his plans and suggestions for her business, but she only listened halfheartedly. She gave him the occasional nod or comment whenever needed, but other than that she let him do the talking.

Upon coming to the gala, Mabel was more than excited to go. Her and Dipper have been hatching up this for weeks, and even Wendy put in her help, despite that she was busy preparing for finals and graduating from college within the week. Ever since her and Dipper became an item, the three had become an unstoppable trio, when it came to hunting down supernaturals and running a business. Of course, they were just as incredible when they were children, but now that they were adults, their horizon expanded and more adventures awaited them.

Mabel glanced once more at the man and, relieved that he seemed to be finished with the conversation, excused herself. Gideon didn't even bother to call her name as he was resumed to talking with the other important business owners that had just arrived. She briskly walked over to the buffet table, plopping the delectable goodies she found onto her plate and poured herself a glass of wine.

She was almost able to calm her beating heart when she could feel a presence come over her, and she heard a hearty chuckle.

"Couldn't stay away from the wine for long, I suppose?" He asked, his voice as smooth as honey. "I don't blame you—it's superb."

Mabel blinked and glanced up at the man, locking her eyes with his. He had an oval face, with striking blue eyes and dark blonde hair. He sported a blue tux and tie, matching perfectly with his tan skin. Her posture grew rigid as she could feel the calm, collected vibe coming from them. He was guarded, but with his emotionless face one would never know. His clouded eyes unveiled nothing of what was going on in his mind. If anything, he looked like somebody straight out of a James Bond movie.

He grinned at her, "Say, you look quite young. I should tell you it's not very ladylike to break the rules."

"I'm legal," Mabel lied, taking a sip. She kept her thoughts collected as she recalled her and her brothers' nineteenth birthday. It's been a year since they fully took control of the Mystery Shack. "I take good care of my skin."

"Well, that is very prudent of you. Most women would be more concerning themselves with getting spray tans and makeovers." His smile was dazzling, "It's refreshing to see that there is hope in humanity."

Mabel said nothing and took a large swig, placing the glass back onto the buffet table. She glanced around once more for Gideon, but she couldn't see the chubby teenager with white hair anywhere. Finding her bravado, she smirked at her companion, "How old are you, then? I bet you must be pretty up there if you're wearing a fancy suite and have grey hair."

The man pretended to look aghast and placed a hand dramatically to his heart, "The nerve. I happen to be turning 25 this Fall."

He's turning 25 soon, Mabel thought glumly, this dude is way too for me. If he was 21, or 20, sure, but… I've been out of the dating scene for a while now. My skills are rusty. Still, despite her better judgement, she batted her eyelashes at him. "We're not so far off, then. I just turned 21." If I say I'm 19, this guy will just treat me like a kid. I started running a business at the age of sixteen. There's no way I'm going to risk that exposure.

The man grinned and blinked in surprise, when a slow ballet began to play from the jazz band. Mabel nervously played with the hem of her sleeve as couples, fancy couples wearing expensive dresses and jewelry, began to move to the dancefloor. It was then that Mabel realized she was extremely out of place here, in this expensive hotel in the busy streets of California. Even though she was here strictly on business, and knew just as much about running one better than these snots, she couldn't help but feel a little intimidated.

She closed her eyes and finished the last of her treats before she opened them again, only to see the young man staring expectantly at her. She curiously gazed back.

"Would you care to dance, my lady?" He asked, holding out a hand. She tried to ignore the hushed whispers from the elites and upper class folk as she accepted his offer. They made their way through the crowd of people and found a spot to dance in, Mabel's eyes never leaving his. They were hypnotic.

Her hands easily slid onto his neck, and his hands on her waist. The two fell into step with each other, Mabel's dress flowing as she was twirled around, the pair gaining attention. He caught her in his arms and she let out a gasp, her cheeks flushed.

"My, my, you are a wonderful dancer." He chuckled at her, and they began the waltz again.

Mabel said nothing, her gaze strong on his as she felt sparks shoot up her arms. She hasn't felt like this in a long time. This feeling, unlike any other she'd experienced, was hard to ignore. They suddenly became the center of attention as couples drifted off the floor, leaving them to finish the song.

"I-I... just realized, I never got your name." She said breathlessly, feeling her hands on his hair.

"Where are my manners? The name is Freddie. Freddie Andrew Gleeful II."

"That's a mouthful. I'm Mabel Pines." She announced, extending her hand.

Freddie accepted that notion, "Well, it would be even more of a stretch to say that my full first name is Fredrickson. Now, wouldn't that be a drag?" The two laughed for a moment before the businessman realized the name, and something clicked in his head. He briefly scanned the room for his cousin and spotted him, causing his jawline to tighten. The song had ended, and a polite clap was heard from the crowd that stopped to watch.

The two locked eyes, and Gideon's face paled when he saw who Mabel was talking with.

Mabel, meanwhile, was making the same connections in her head. Freddie Gleeful. Gleeful! Then that must mean—"You must be somehow know Gideon?" This sentence came out of both their mouths, making them to blink in surprise.

"He is my cousin." Freddie said charmingly, hiding his animosity for coverage.

"Small world! We're childhood friends. I used to visit Gravity Falls every summer when I was little."

"Indeed it is, Miss Pines." He said through his teeth, giving her a smile. Freddie was about to comment on her dress when his idiot cousin swooped in, and gave them both a tight smile.

"Freddie! Why, such a coincidence to see you here! I haven't seen ya in ages. My, the business life is doin' wonders for you. Lookit how much you've grown!" He gave them a half-hearted laugh, ignoring the bewildered look Mabel gave him.

"Yes, well, I may have accomplished many things, but a true gentleman never brags about his achievements." He said, winking at Mabel.

"I see that you have met my lovely companion for the night. Mabel, isn't he such a charmer?" He asked rhetorically, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but if you want to catch your plane tomorrow, we have to leave now so you can get a good nights' rest."

"My dear cousin, are you here strictly on business? Why can't you let dear Mabel stay another night in California to enjoy her time here?" Freddie pressed, not ready to let this woman away from his grasp. She was clearly a gem in a pile of rubble.

"We really, can't, ya'see… we have a business back home to get up an runnin'," He shared a look with Mabel, "Some other time, I promise."

Freddie let out a sigh but he grasped Mabel's hand in his and kissed it. "Until then, my dearest Mabel. It was an honor to meet you tonight. I'd hate to be the reason to prevent you from coming home."

Mabel pouted, though she knew she had already overstayed her welcome here in Cali. She grinned as she felt tingles shoot up her arm again. Those were nice. "I suppose so. Thank you for the dance, Mr. Gleeful."

Freddie chuckled and blew a raspberry, "Call me Freddie. Mr. Gleeful is my father. The stars will align for us to meet again, Mabel."

"They always do." She grinned back, nodding. She wondered if giving him a hug was appropriate, but Gideon was already wiggly and agitated, so she never got the chance to find out. She couldn't help but glance back at the millionaire as they walked out of the main hall, and Gideon was fumbling for his keys. Mabel raised an eyebrow at this erratic behavior, and once they were finally out of earshot of the public eye, she rounded on him.

"Why didn't you tell me your cousin, Freddie Andrew Gleeful II, the most influential millennial of the century, was attending the business gala?! He caught me completely off guard! I knew there was something off about this place, and it was him!"

He gaped at her, puffing out his cheeks in anger. "How was I supposed to know?! I haven't spoken to him in years! I haven't seen him since we were pre-teens!"

She groaned and fanned herself, "Why didn't you give me the warning of how absolutely hot he was, boy? I didn't have enough time to get my flirt on!"

"Goodness, Mabel, now's not the time or place to be thinking about that stuff! 'Sides, you've gotta company to run. You can't be thinkin' about fancy-pants and his expensive Ferrari." He said in his southern drawl, as they stepped into the elevator.

"But he's your cousin," Mabel argued, "Shouldn't you be on good terms with him? Aren't the Gleefuls, like, all connected and shit? There's so many of you; whenever you host one of these things, it's more like a family gathering than a business affair."

Gideon grew quiet at that and stared at their reflections in the mirror. He took this moment to look at Mabel, really look at her, and see how much she's matured over the years. The poor girl's been through a lot, and she wasn't even done growing yet. She was wearing a beautiful purple designer dress with frills, and white gloves. Her hair was done up nicely, with diamond earrings to match her silver shoes. Even though she was tired, she still held herself up and glared at Gideon.

He remembered back when it was a simpler time, when he was obsessed with her, and wanted to marry her. It took him years to finally come out to the twins, but that erratic behavior was because of his father, and how he would never accept that Gideon was gay. He'd always known it, ever since he was a child, but due to his homophobic and strict parents, he acted out. Mabel was a beautiful woman, he admired that, but the possibility of them having a future now that he's given up his act was zero to none. And he couldn't have been more pleased to find comfort in this new family, with the mystery twins. This was better than nothing.

"Still," He grumbled, blinking the thoughts away. "Getting involved with my family is bad news. It's bad enough that we're friends and you have to deal with my father."

"Gideon," Mabel said, smiling sadly, she reached out to place a hand on his shoulder. "I can take care of myself, dude. Are you worried that I'll get hurt?"

He wearily looked at her as the doors to the elevator opened up to their floor. The two walked out. He turned to face her fully, a serious look on his face. "You're a sister to me now, Mabel. I have people in high places that'll drop everything to protect you. I just… I just want you to be cautious, when you're stepping into my waters. You've gotten a taste of it tonight, but that's not even scratching the surface. When you're tryna build a company you need to keep your head up and your feet ready to make a move when someone tries to stomp on all your hard work. Especially if you stick your nose into secret affairs. I … I care about you, and I don't want your ego to expand into the great beyond like my cousin's did. I know very little of his antics, because I haven't seen him in a while, but it takes one to know one." He took a deep breath and waited for Mabel's response.

She blinked rapidly for the tears to go away and she hugged him, grateful to have such a kind friend in Gideon. He really does put her before others in times of need. "I love you, G. Thanks for always looking out for us. I felt safe knowing you were with me tonight."

He chuckled and awkwardly patted her back. "I know, I know. Everything I do is for you crazy twins. Now, come on then. Lets' get settled in for the night. We have a big day for tomorrow."

"You're always so eager," She giggled, but she accepted his hand and made their way into their room. Mabel had thought that would be the last time she saw Freddie. She thought that would be her last time in California, and she would never go back to that snotty hotel with their fancy tub and black toilet paper. To her surprise she found an invitation sitting on her doorstep weeks later, with her name on it, and from an anonymous sender. A bouquet of purple roses and an expensive Cadillac was waiting outside the Mystery Log Cabin, and Mabel had to take a wild guess as to who they were from.

0o0o0o

It was a long, narrow path that he walked on. He had to make it through this treacherous place to reach his destination. There were clouds in the sky, a fierce wind shook the air, and trees threatened to collapse on top of him any second.

Still, the man trudged onwards, his eyes glowing yellow, a purple aura cloaking his body. It was as if the harsh weather hardly affected him at all. He knew that if he gave up now, he would die. There was no questioning the true power that consumed him.

Finally, though it seemed like no time has passed, the man who called himself Gleeful entered a clearing. He placed candles around him in a triangle pattern, chanting a mysterious tongue as he did so. His cloak swayed with the wind as he pulled out three books from underneath it, placing them in the middle. He leaned on his knees, spreading out his arms as the weather became more erratic, and felt himself being lifted into the spirit world.

His plan was working.

It was only a matter of time.


End file.
